I think that's kind of ridiculous. A program is best served if there is some way to have people come in fresh from the industry. Angela Robbins, news director at WJBF-TV in Augusta, GA, says the schools that impress her like the University of Georgia have a commitment to good writing skills. Educators like Joe Foote at Southern Illinois University agree that's important but say it's hard to find enough time in the curriculum to really teach students how to write. They learn a little bit, a few rules, but there's not enough practice and in-depth tutoring.
Some young journalists wish there had been more.
She says she didn't get enough critical feedback on her writing while in school. The deadline issue wasn't stressed enough. News director Peter Landis at New York 1 News says he sees the consequences of that all the time. For Jennifer Pascua, who graduated from Northern Illinois University last year, the biggest adjustment has been dealing with the atmosphere in the newsroom. Now a reporter at WREX-TV in Rockford, IL, she says she wasn't ready for the competition and stress.