Getting more from your journalism degree

Contributed by Ashley Barnett

Unlike some majors, journalism is hard to learn from behind a school desk. It’s not a subject that can be taught entirely with books or through tests.  Instead internships, freelance jobs or campus media offer a great way to learn through experience.   

Bruce Moore, news director of Memphis CBS affiliate WREG, says that internships are important because interns are able to see both the good and bad in newsrooms.

“Students should have an understanding and overview of what a newsroom goes through day in and day out. It’s important to know why we do what we do and how we do what we do, on camera and behind the scenes,” Moore says.

What Moore encourages students do while still in college is to learn to write and speak well. For Moore, having good grades is also a plus; he says that he looks more closely at students with high GPAs because it shows what hard workers they are.

“The best predictor of future behavior is what someone has achieved in the past,” Moore says.

For those he hires freshly hired out of college, Moore says he wants these new employees to know that they don’t know everything.

“I expect them to be willing to learn, willing to be guided, have an open mind and a willingness to explore new things,” says Moore.

He also suggests that interpersonal skills are necessary for success in journalism.

“It’s important for somebody to be able to talk, speak politely and diplomatically, if necessary. Somebody who can look you in the eye and can ask and answer questions directly,” Moore says.

When asked about his best advice for a journalism student Moore said, “Be curious and be honest.”

He also adds that  students should be prepared to make mistakes.

“It’s impossible to enter this work world without messing up every now and then,” Moore says.

Ashley Barnett is a senior, focusing on broadcast journalism.  She recently completed a second internship at WREG-TV in Memphis.