The median income for a journalist these days is around
$34,000 annually and starting pay is often in the $25,000 range. But if a budding journalist takes his education at the Columbia School of Journalism, he'll pay a whopping $84,884 for his one-year Master of Science j-school degree, far more than he'll make in his first few decades as a working journalist.
This shocking tuition cost was reported recently in a story on the elevation of journalist Steve Coll to the position of dean of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. According to the
report, Coll is "concerned" by the exorbitant
costs.
“I want to assess our model and look at the value proposition for students -- that’s the first priority of any dean at a school like this,” the newly minted dean said.
As Columbia hikes its tuition, many other universities have eliminated their journalism programs altogether. Last year, for instance, Emory University
announced it was ending its j-school program. In 2011, the University of Colorado also
announced its journalism school was closing.
Journalism itself is moving in a downward direction. As John Nolte
reported March 19, "According to a new Pew study, the number of newsroom jobs have hit a 35-year low. The industry peaked in 2000, but over the last thirteen years, there has been a 30% cutback in personnel. Now, for the first time since 1978, there are fewer than 40,000 full-time newsroom jobs."
Warner Todd Huston——
Bio and Archives
Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as Breitbart.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.
He is also the owner and operator of Publius’ Forum.
