MU journalism school celebrates centennial

by Bondi Wood

September 5,2008

The University of Missouri School of Journalism holds its centennial celebration next week, and the highlight will be the dedication of a new center for studying media models of the future.

The ceremony is being held amid uncertainty about the future of its student-staffed and financially struggling daily newspaper, The Columbia Missourian, which has had a significant impact on the local community over the years.

Students set type in country newspaper production.

High-profile media personalities, political leaders and distinguished alumni will gather Sept. 10 to 12 for the 100th anniversary of what is generally considered the world’s first journalism school.

The School of Journalism’s dedication of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, takes place on the second day of the event. Construction began in December 2005 on the project, which included the renovation of the historic Sociology Building on Francis Quadrangle and a major portion of Walter Williams Hall, and the construction of an addition between the buildings.

RJI was made possible by a $31 million gift from the Reynolds Foundation and houses state-of-the-art resources and technologies aimed at researching and testing new models of journalism.

George Kennedy, professor emeritus and former editor of The Columbia Missourian, compares the role and goals of the Reynolds Institute to similar endeavors at Discovery Ridge.

A student looks at The Columbia Missourian the day after President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

“We’re not exactly the life sciences, but we are the living arts,” he said. “In economic terms, the institute is going to contribute by bringing in high quality people at pretty good salaries and getting Columbia’s ‘brand’ out there.”

For decades, graduates of Missouri’s journalism school have remained in Columbia, post graduation. Many photographers, videographers, writers, broadcasters and communication specialists, all products of the journalism school, have set up shop in Columbia. Civic and government leaders are accustomed to the “fish bowl” syndrome caused by the disproportionate number of reporters covering local news. New construction at the journalism school over the past 12 years has brought millions into the local economy. The journalism school provides multiple media outlets for savvy business owners, who rely on accurate information in decision-making.

The debate about whether private enterprise should compete with public entities for advertising dollars is ongoing between The Columbia Missourian and the Columbia Daily Tribune.

“If the J-school wasn’t here, Columbia would be a little duller. The citizenry would be a little less well-informed, and it would certainly be true that the Tribune’s ad rates would be higher,” Kennedy said.

Steve Weinberg, a graduate of Missouri’s journalism school and local author of A Journalism of Humanity, a history of the first 100 years of the journalism school, characterized The Columbia Missourian as “the cornerstone of the Missouri journalism program.”

Kennedy agrees with Weinberg’s characterization. “There’s no particular reason that Columbia, Mo. was better than anywhere else to start a J-school; it’s that the Missouri Method gave us something that nobody else had at the time or ever has had,” Kennedy said. “What sets us apart is the way our students learn journalism in a competitive, commercial environment.”

The Missouri Method employs journalism students in real-life, hands on experiences. In 1908, the experience began with The Columbia Missourian, and over the years has evolved to include television, magazine, radio, strategic communications and e-publications. While plenty of other top journalism schools around the country have newspapers or radio stations, none are full-time commercial endeavors.

“If Walter Williams hadn’t had the genius of the Missouri Method, we’d be a J-school like any of the other top 15 to 20 J-schools in the country,” according to Kennedy.

While the University of Wisconsin celebrated its journalism school’s 100-year anniversary in 2005, most historians agree that Columbia is home to the first journalism school. Walter Williams is credited with both establishing the journalism school and formulating the Missouri Method.

Suzette Heiman, associate professor and director of planning and communications, has spearheaded the centennial celebration activities. Although Heiman believes the university is strong in numerous academic areas, the reputation of the journalism school is a substantial attraction for potential students.

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute.

“We have a very good university that will always be a destination of higher learning. It’s just that the J-school is such an outstanding program, it adds visibility and prominence to the school,” she said.

With the study abroad programs, new media outlets and social networking, journalism students in Columbia have numerous opportunities to impress a global audience, Heiman said.

“We have a very aggressive study abroad program. I’d say, easily, that one out of four journalism students studies abroad,” Heiman said. Also, according to Heiman, students participating in MoJo Ad, the School of Journalism’s student-staffed strategic communication agency, are “wowing national clients left and right.”

Both Kennedy and Heiman agree that the journalism school’s new admission policies are bringing in more highly qualified students. Until recently, students at the university were not admitted to the School of Journalism until their junior year. Now, students are accepted as freshmen. As a result, the competition for spots has steadily increased.

Initially cool to the idea, Kennedy admits the early admission policy is working. “We’re attracting more and better students, and our retention has gone up. Freshmen get to take a J-school class in their first year,” he said.

Tom Warhoven (center, standing) talks with editors and journalists in 2005 in The Columbia Missourian newsroom.

Heiman added, “Overall, we get really good students who see themselves as leaders. They are coming to us from all over the U.S. and internationally.”

Despite all the acclaim and economic benefit the journalism school has brought to Columbia, there are questions being raised about the future of The Columbia Missourian, which has only occasionally been profitable in its 100-year existence.

The newspaper’s advisory board planned to meet later this month to consider options.

“The Missourian has been re-thought several times, including when Walter Williams had it in 1908.” Kennedy said. “It’s happening all over the country. The traditional business model for newspapers, in general, is broken.”

Digital publishing and free online news services are changing how people receive news. Professors double as editors and the reporters and photographers, with their tuition dollars, pay to work at The Missourian, but the paper is still losing money.

“Even though we are somewhat insulated, we are not immune to industry trends,” Kennedy said.

The Reynolds Institute, dubbed as a think-tank for journalistic innovations, may play a role in the future of The Missourian. Options include having the publication go completely digital, with printed copies distributed one or more times weekly, or forming a partnership with an existing newspaper such the Columbia Daily Tribune or the Jefferson City News Tribune.

“If the commercial end of the paper has to be relinquished, it’s essential that the journalism would remain independent and in the hands of the university faculty and staff,” Kennedy said.

In a column published over the Labor Day weekend, Missourian Executive Editor Tom Warhover wrote, “no matter what happens,” the Missourian editors will maintain control of editorial content.

“The most common scenario has print frequency reduced from seven days a week to five, with heavier concentration of circulation around the three Columbia campuses,” Warhover wrote. “The goals are simple: Reduce the deficit of the newspaper; maintain its editorial mission as a vital information source for the people of Columbia; and train tomorrow’s newspaper leaders in today’s professional newsroom.”

Popularity: 44% [?]