journalism

The argument for studying journalism has never been stronger. Just a quick glance at the news makes the case. We’re training students who will graduate equipped with strong writing skills – still the number one most important skill set according to all employers with whom I interact; technical skills to communicate using whatever equipment, software and tools are available; and the ethical decision-making skills necessary to function in a world where decisions are rarely cut and dry.

For recent journalism graduates, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped their entry into the news industry. Young MDJ alumni have focused much of their professional careers on the pandemic, mostly with a Northeast Ohio angle — not just on case numbers or other statistics, but also on the effects on the economy, businesses and the healthcare industry.

When I walked into Taylor Hall as an 18-year-old freshman in 1983, I had no idea that the foundation for my professional and personal life would take place there.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 1987, I was a section editor at the Daily Kent Stater — in a newsroom packed with future journalism giants whose achievements are too numerous to mention.

The School of Media and Journalism organized a project called the Collaborative NewsLab to provide students with real world work experience, while newsrooms, hit with unprecedented financial challenges, were resorting to layoffs and furloughs early in the pandemic.  

The CCI course Media and Movements explores social movements of our time through storytelling, strategy and advocacy. Fall 2021's seminar, themed “Building a Better World,” required students to select a specific human rights or human dignity issue that impacts their Kent State peers and reimagine a better future based on research. 

Since the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s, Russia has launched several misinformation campaigns to regain lost satellite countries, specifically in the Baltic regions. Journalists such as Ruslanas Iržikevičius stand at the front to combat these campaigns to preserve democracy and his country’s independence. 

He recently visited Kent State's School of Media and Journalism.

“You can’t expect journalists to do this type of hurdling long-term without holistic support that includes logistical elements," claims Assistant Professor and TV2 advisor Gretchen Hoak, "but also mental and emotional support."