What is the role of campus journalism in making future leaders?

Answer 1

Many of today's best-known journalists got their start reporting for their campus newspaper. Being a campus journalist teaches a person valuable skills that they will use later: the ability to do a good interview (you need to know the right questions to ask); persistence (the person you want to talk to many not respond right away); mental toughness (somebody may be critical of you or dislike what you wrote, and you need to be able to accept criticism); maturity (you are representing your newspaper, and you need to be prepared, professional, and reliable); and ethics (what you write will be taken seriously by your readers, so you need to report in an honest and fair manner).

By getting published in your campus newspaper, you are getting your name out there and becoming better known. This will help you when you search for a job in the profession. Campus reporters are often leaders because they not only provide the expected stories about which teams won or which new professor is coming to town; they also sometimes take on the tough issues that the administration may not want the student newspaper to talk about. Thus, campus reporters and editors perform a very important role in preserving freedom of the press for the college audience; working in campus journalism helps you to become more mature and to demonstrate leadership skills.