Never Fear, J-Schoolers Are Here!
It is, for the most part, a depressing time to be in the reporting game. Newspapers are dying quickly; magazines are dying only slightly more slowly; and the network news divisions are basically already dead. People in the business are wondering what they'll do; people not in the business are glad they're not; and those in it who are young enough, and smart enough, are making plans to get out. Shockingly, though, The Hartford Courant — American's oldest continuously published newspaper, so they've got something riding on this — has found a group of people bullish on the future of this journalism thing. Is one an upstart analyst, who's found some good news buried in a balance sheet somewhere? Nope. Is there some think-tank graybeard who actually has something good to say about how kids these days are doing journalism? Of course not. Perhaps the one working reporter who finally found employment security and a 401(k) that's not underwater? No way.
The Courant is reporting, rather, that there are more kids than ever in j-school, and that the j-school kids, despite all evidence to the contrary, are still bullish on their chosen field. This is great news, of course. Until you remember one thing: These are people gullible enough to pay for j-school in the first place.
The business is doomed.
