From the Newsroom to the Classroom: Steve Fox
6 January 2008
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Another friend and former colleague of mine, Steve Fox, took the plunge into journalism education last year, too. Well for Steve, it was more like a graceful dive. While an editor at washingtonpost.com, Steve taught in the journalism program at the University of Maryland for several years and has lectured at many other universities during the time I’ve known him.
Steve spent the better part of the last decade as a senior editor at post.com, leading, at various times, the politics, nation and newsdesk teams. At the end of 2006, he teamed up with Jay Rosen, of New York University, and others to launch Assignment Zero. Now he spends his days molding the next generation of journalists at the University of Massachusetts.
See what Steve says motivated him to make the transition and where “true innovation” can be found.
How long were you in journalism and why did you make the transition out of the newsroom and into the classroom?
Why is a bit complicated.
My first editor back in Peekskill, N.Y. told me in 1984 that I would burn out, that no one lasts forever in daily journalism. I told him he was nuts, that I had always wanted to be a journalist, why would I ever leave?
That, of course, was before the 24-hour news cycle and the dominant corporate bottom line within newsrooms.
When the 2000 election debacle happened, I thought “this was the biggest story ever and I’m a part of it…” Then 9/11 happened, anthrax, the DC sniper, the midterm elections, the Iraq War….and on and on.
It seems that the news cycle since the 2000 election has been continuous. I don’t want to say that I burned out but the combination of a news cycle that never takes a break and a news company that became more and more about the bottom line and less and less about true innovation was what pushed me to make the transition.
Unlike corporate journalism, academia makes you feel like you’re having a real impact and allows you freedom to experiment in methods of delivering journalism as well as subject matter.
What are the biggest challenges facing journalism schools?
The challenges facing journalism schools mostly lie with the pace of change. Many schools are struggling with how to revise their curriculum to deal with multimedia reporting and convergence. Some schools understand that the concepts need to be developed across all classes, while some are creating silo. Many are struggling with hiring.
Journalism schools need to understand that they need to hire experienced professionals to come in and help bring change to their departments — yet many departments remain fixated on the notion that new hires need to have experience AND doctorates. That is slowly changing as schools make “professional hires” but the pace of change needs to speed up.
What advice do you have for new graduates trying to get their first new media job?
What I tell my students is to be an expert in one delivery form yet be familiar and have a working knowledge of many. One of my students really likes video editing, yet can also write and put together a decent package. She’s ready for the new media newsroom.
The other big thing is mindset. I try to tell my students to go into the profession with an open mind. We may not know much about the future but we do know that the industry will continue to change and change rapidly. The “next big thing” is out there and we have no idea what it is. Amazingly, at The Post, some of the folks least resistant to change were the young reporters. You have to have an open mind.
What are the biggest challenges facing online newsrooms?
It’s against my nature to make vast statements about news operations I haven’t been a part of, but speaking generally I think the focus on the bottom line is forcing talented journalists out of many online newsrooms — and will continue to do so. The end result is partly good news for journalism schools but also means that many MSM journalists and editors are going out into the open marketplace to act as bloggers, citizen journalists, etc. And THAT is where the true innovation is taking place. Until online newsrooms realize that they have to start being pro-active and less reactive, this bleeding will continue, and with it less users going to the respective Web sites for their information.
Do you see any potential for online newsrooms to partner with journalism schools? If so, what are the possibilities?
Yes! I think the possibilities are endless! But, again, whether online newsrooms will take that innovative leap remains to be seen. On the upside, online newsrooms get free labor, but I can already hear laments about quality issues.
How is teaching different from or similar to what you were doing in the newsroom?
The similarities lie with the teaching aspect of editing. Unlike newsrooms, you most times don’t see an immediate result with teaching. There are more subtle results and they can be much more fulfilling. As I mentioned earlier, the lack of a corporate bottom-line and the inherent academic freedoms that come with teaching allow for much more innovation and explorations of “true journalism” than in corporate newsrooms.
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