The Teaching Hospital: Possibilities for Journalism Education

Media organizations are facing significant challenges for relevance and survival and groping for possible lifelines. Media executives have been lobbying for tax breaks from Congress. Some are exploring opportunities to get free or low-priced content from non-profit organizations; others are involved in massive downsizings and cost-cutting measures; and still others are closing. These closings are leaving entire communities often lacking credible local news and information. One of the more promising programs to help sustain legacy media appears to be university-media collaborations that are modeled after a teaching hospital example. Since 2008, numerous medical residency type journalism programs have emerged and are considered by many to be a key part of efforts to revitalize legacy media. This book examines the history of experiential learning in journalism and then offers a close examination of two operating news service projects, one at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and another at the author’s home school, Youngstown State University.