OmegaPaladin, Thanks for your comments. Regarding reputation, the Internet’s exposure of inaccuracies and bias has taken its toll on journalism. According to Pew Research, only 18% now believe newspapers are “highly believeable,” down from 27% a decade ago. Regarding resources, the NY Times now has 6 full-time reporters covering Iraq, fewer full-time reporters in a country at war than a typical local TV station has in a metro area. A new model is emerging where news will come from multitudes of sources, without the requirement that they are employees (e.g. look at how DrudgeReport has become a top 10 news outlet without any reporters). I agree with you on the importance of specialization, but don’t see the reason that students should go to journalism school to get it. Education and experience in those specific fields, that can turn them into experts, makes more sense to me.
