"Keeping the Best and the Brightest"
Television Broadcast (September 1995).

by Steven Daniel Anderson

A few years ago at an RTNDA convention in Denver. Pauley lambasted journalism educators for "putting the cart before the horse," saying that skills courses only feed teenage narcissism and are a distraction from academic coursework. According to Pauley, "communications education has a credibility problem."

I think it's safe to say that television news directors would like to see a better prepared and more qualified group of graduates. That is a wish that industry insiders and broadcast educators share. We might also agree that there is a crisis of confidence in both higher education and television news itself. So, while it's important to scrutinize what's going on in higher education, I would like to suggest a little industry scrutiny as well. Does the industry have any responsibility for the low caliber of graduates they themselves complain about?

Every college professor knows that students are the ones who make them look good. One quality graduate who goes on to success in the business will do more for my reputation in the industry than scores of published articles or teaching awards. Journalism educators live for those students who come into their programs for all the "right" reasons. Anchor wannabees and those who don't have their "heart in it" will become the 75 percent of graduates who don't get jobs in the business. Attracting the best and the brightest is what journalism education is all about.

I would suggest that the industry is at least partially responsible for driving away many of the best and the brightest in the first place. Take internships for example. An internship may be the most important thing a student can do in preparation for a job in the industry. Yet, almost all internships in television news are unpaid. Students are asked to pay for college credit, live away from home and work for free at a television station where they may get to do no more than answer phones and make copies.

At larger market stations (stations where at least minimal compensation would certainly be possible), interns are usually relegated to observing and handling mundane tasks. The attitude says "we don't need to pay interns, because if you don't want the opportunity there are plenty of others who do. You have to want it bad enough to work for nothing."

I understand why large market stations can't put an intern on the air. But, it's difficult to comprehend why at least some level of compensation can't be provided. One side of me says that if you want a job in the business you'll do whatever it takes, that it has to be "in your gut," but the reality is that today, many of the best simply can't afford to do an internship without some financial help. Most universities allow for interns to be compensated for living and travel expenses while still receiving college credit.

In smaller markets, many stations look to interns as unpaid employees. While this at least gives interns a chance to do something meaningful, the idea of doing valued work for nothing reeks of manipulation of the system. Students and professors are told that we should be grateful for the type of opportunity that is provided. If it's pointed out that the law requires payment for actual work, a professor's professional contact with that station has, for all intents and purposes, just been terminated. Small market news directors can go elsewhere to find someone who will work for nothing. Professors understand how the system works and will gratefully send students to these internships because there is no alternative and a small market internship is still the best path to an entry level job.

And for those fortunate enough to get an entry level job, what about the pay itself? It's certainly not unusual for someone to start at around $12,000 to $14,000 a year after graduation. Their heart may be in it, but their brains will take them to the business department. Or, they'll consider a career in public relations. It's difficult to see good students leave a journalism or communication program simply because of the money. But, it happens all the time.

I do not want to detract from those stations who are responsible about internships and pay. I know individual photographers, editors, or reporters who will work with an intern, provide mentoring and actually help them put together news packages complete with their own stand-ups. The business is rich with people who want to give something back.

Many of us in academe came out of the business ourselves, so we're not cloistered in some protected environment out of touch with reality. We work hard to prepare students to make meaningful contributions to the industry and most of know how to provide a healthy does of reality. We would like to work with the professional community to find ways to improve the caliber or our graduates. Let's look at both sides of the formula, academe and the industry, to see what we can do better.