Journalism educator: Good writing is always in demand

by IJNet
Oct 30, 2018 in Journalism Basics

When students ask where they can find jobs, journalism educator Susan Brockus Wiesinger has a one-word reply: “Everywhere.”

Journalism graduates don't need to limit their job searches to news outlets, Wiesinger, the new journalism department chair of Chico State University in California, told the Chico News & Review. She tells students their skills will be invaluable in almost any profession.

In particular, clear, error-free writing is sorely needed not just in journalism and on the web, she said, but in business, on television, in public relations and in many other areas.

That's why, at a moment when many journalism schools are pushing multimedia skills, Weisinger's program has chosen to focus on writing skills.

And while some educators see journalism as a completely separate field from public relations, Wiesinger is eager to elevate PR in her department, which is renaming itself the Department of Journalism and Public Relations. The department already has its own public relations agency, which is run by students.

An upcoming assignment? Promoting the department, of course.

Says Wiesinger: “Journalism has never had to market itself before, but now it does."