Not much interest in studying financial journalism at Columbia

Bob Garfield of the NPR show “On the Media” interviewed Columbia University adjunct professor Cheryl Strauss Einhorn and found that interest in learning about business and financial journalism is low among her students.

In fact, this year only four students enrolled in her class.

“This year they weren’t even able to drum up enough interest to have two sections of the financial journalism course,” said Einhorn, who formerly worked at Barron’s.

“I do give them a questionnaire when they come in and ask them why they’re taking the class,” she said. “Many of the people, when they answered this, have said that a family member has recommended that  this would be good for them, or that they’re completely uncomfortable and don’t like the business section…

“But there have been very few people who have taken the class.”

Garfield asked Einhorn why she thought this was the case, wondering why there wasn’t more appeal to business reporting.

“In the blurb to advertise the course, I call it ‘show me the money,’ said Einhorn, “Because that is one of those phrases that resonates with people. The same things that make a good news story make a good business story.” Â

Einhorn called the current Wall Street tumoil a “wonderful opportunity” to interest students in covering business and finance in the future. But she noted during the summer, when students were signing up for classes, the shakedown in the economy was already occurring and there still wasn’t much interest.

Listen to the interview here.