Opinion: Student Journalists
Students who studied journalism will tell you they were taught to chase stories, adhere to deadlines and give a voice to the voiceless. So they stay up late at night, editing stories, double checking quotes and covering events they must attend. But somewhere between passion and pressure, a crisis has entered campuses across the country, which can be known as burnout.
Student journalism has always been based on dedication to the craft. But today, the responsibilities of student reporters resemble the responsibilities of professionals rather than students. Many take on a full course of study, part-time jobs, internships, and newsroom shifts often for little or no pay. They are asked to do a professional job while still having it regarded as a hobby. It takes a toll on not only mental health, but on the future of journalism itself.
The symptoms are easy to see. Missed deadlines, decreased staff sizes and decreasing numbers of stories have become normal in many college papers. Young editors who used to have time to learn about their future career now barely have time to keep up with the workload. Many student writers drop out mid semester dealing with the burden of burnout.
The trouble with student journalism is not individual exhaustion, it is structural neglect. In 2005 a study revealed that over 60% of student journalists reported they worked more than 15 hours a week for free while producing their publications. Few students receive any mental health help from their schools, although journalism directly ranks among some of the most stressful courses of college. It is, however, those schools which boast of winning students' newspapers.
Many college publications run on very small budgets and are trying to cover printing costs and maintain a website. Advertisement revenues have been lost because school support has not filled the bill. This means very few funds for the student journalist and older equipment while many people stress the importance of “doing more with less.” The result is a generation of reporters being taught that burnout is just part of the profession of journalism.
Turnover in the industry is already a problem. A report from Poynter Institute published last year showed that almost one-third of the graduates in journalism drop out of the profession in five years due to stress, lack of money and lack of support. If student journalists burnout before they graduate, we are preparing the next generation of professionals for failure before they even enter the profession.
Schools must accept their share of responsibility for protecting their campus journalists. Student media is not just an extra curricular activity; it is a public service. These campus publications service the communities and serve as training schools for the next generation of reporters. To approach student journalism, as if it is a luxury instead of a necessity is to discredit education and democracy.
There are obvious steps that schools can make. Most of all they should provide some pay for the editors and heads of publication, especially the larger ones. Even fair, small stipends recognize labor and eliminate some of the inequalities that exist for those students who cannot afford to take unpaid positions. Schools should provide mental health services centered around counseling, time management and helping to deal with the extensive workload. Finally, schools should also consider it advisable to integrate student media into journalism course curriculum and academic credit for working in the newsroom. There should be no need for conflict between study and labor, but an effort should be made to make one help the other.
The faculty advisors could also play an important part in this education; if there’s a difference, it can be made in the case of balancing the college career with inspiration. If the advisors model a sustainable working culture in the newsroom, the students will realize that good journalism doesn’t need to be at the expense of living their day-to-day life.
At the same time, the student journalist can help themselves by normalizing rest, confiding in others and celebrating teamwork, not competition. The profession is based on community, and community should start in the newsroom.
