Will journalism professors become 'endangered species'?

In the summer 2005 issue of Wilson Quarterly, reader Keith R. Wood of Salt Lake City (a one-time TV news director) bemoans the current state of journalism training in a letter to the editor. Wood argues that today's journalists are "generally taught by people whose main qualification is a journalism degree" and because of this journalists have become "high-tech migrant laborers" who are "interested primarily in moving to the next station or paper." Gone are the days when journalists worked their way up at the local paper from "foot-in-the-door jobs," Wood says.

In his letter, Wood sees the recruiting of online journalists and bloggers as a promising step in developing more community-invested journalists: "Some paper will see the potential in having a 'farm' of credentialed bloggers working as stringers for the online version of the paper, with the best of them working in the print edition beside traditional reporters." He concludes: "When that day arrives, journalism professors will become an endangered species."

Is this a logical scenario? What role might future journalism educators play if blogging becomes the new training ground for professional journalists? Could journalism educators help play a role in granting "credentials" to these bloggers?

Being a reporter is a complicated matter.

Judy Miller of the NYT has been thrown in a cage because she would not cough up her source. Will this have a chilling effect on government whistle blowers? Are we ready for a national shield law? Was the court simply asking Miller to identify a criminal?