Biz journalism professors use creative approaches to attract students

Teachers of business and economic journalism are developing creative approaches to attracting students and educating them in a field many find daunting, writes Joe Weber of the University of Nebraska in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.

Weber writes, “Business and economic journalism demands specialized skills that can be especially challenging to teach. Students must learn about corporate financial statements, understand company hierarchies, and grasp the essentials of business strategy. They must also learn about the securities markets, global trade, and key economic principles and barometers. Typically, moreover, journalism students bring little or no familiarity with these specialized areas into the classroom, posing considerable hurdles for educators.

“Fortunately, journalism educators — many of whom now bring substantial professional media experience to the classroom—are developing an array of best practices to teach both undergraduates and graduate students. Their efforts, along with expansion in training programs for educators and students by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) and the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University (ASU), may be making inroads. Suggesting much work remains to be done, some 57 percent of business editors surveyed
by Mary Jane Pardue in 2012 rated graduating journalism students as ‘moderately unprepared’ (50.8 percent) or ‘extremely unprepared’ (6.2 percent). But this marks a gain from 2002, when Pardue, now department head and professor of journalism at the Department of Media, Journalism and Film at Missouri State University, found that 80.5 percent of business editors rated the graduates as ‘moderately unprepared’ (64.4 percent) or ‘extremely unprepared’ (16.1 percent).”

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