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The framers of the United States Constitution saw the role of a free press as critical to the function of democracy. They placed freedom of the press among our most basic freedoms. Today, the role of journalists remains no less important. Journalists help us as a society come to terms with the events, issues and ideas that shape us. Whether you immerse yourself in a small community or cover events that shake the world, you can help write the “first draft of history.”
If your career plans include print, broadcast or Web journalism, basic skills remain the same. You must write well and think and read critically. You must digest often complex information and reshape it into a clear, understandable story. You must master the language, including the details of punctuation, grammar, spelling and concise usage. You will develop skills in gathering information, asking the right questions of the right people to get the information you need.
These skills spring from a genuine and fundamental curiosity about the world, what happens and why, and a desire to share that information with readers or listeners.
What will you learn?
As mass communications change rapidly, students may specialize in two areas at North-west College. One emphasizes print media while the other emphasizes the Web and broadcasting in the digital age.
In an increasingly complex world, journalists need a well-rounded education. Journalists encounter stories in every realm of human endeavor. A broader background makes it easier to understand and organize information. That means knowing about political science, literature, history, psychology, economics, agriculture, science, sociology, philosophy, art, business and learning a second language.
While most journalism students will transfer to a four-year school to complete a bachelor’s degree, Northwest offers students advantages they may not find at larger schools. Faculty members are accessible, not distant voices in a huge lecture hall. Even as freshmen, they gain experience on the staff of the student newspaper, the Northwest Trail, experience that might not come until a junior or senior year at other schools. A past winner of the national Pacemaker award from Associated Collegiate Press, the Trail provides practical experience in writing, photography and page layout, all done on the computer. After film is processed in the Trail darkroom, negatives are digitally scanned into the computer for layout. An online edition of the Trail is produced at http://www.northwesttrail.org. The site includes an online campus radio station and digital video clips.
Scholarships are available to journalism majors and members of the Trail staff. Awards follow personal interviews during Scholarship Day each spring. Some work study funds are available for Trail staff positions.