REPORTERS AND EDUCATION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 538, 8 June 1920, Page 2 (Supplement)

REPORTERS AND EDUCATION.

A PROFESSOR SUMS UP. "We cannot afford to let high school boys and girls harbour the mistaken notion that, because they have developed a certain facility in writing for Ithe school paper, they are ready, on leaving school, to enter the profession of journalism," writes Professor W. G. Bleyer r director of the counse in joura|Hgjsr" at' the University at Wisconsin, fh the last number of /the English Journal in discussing "Journalistic Writing m High School and College." "We should show them that journalism should be on as high a plane, particularly, in the mattejf of preparatory training, as are. the professions of law and medicine. "We must convince .them that to be able to write an acceptable news story is not enough to entitle them to be full-fledged newspaper; men and women.

"We should make them see that they need a comprehensive knowledge of the principles of economics, political science, history, philosophy and literature before they can interpret intelligently the events and utterances that they will be called o&jaty by day, to report. \;«, "Professional training of the right kind does not stop with instruction and practice in the mere technique of journalistic writing. Such technique might conceivably be taught in well-equipped high schools. " But what secondary, schools canno(t give, partly because their pupils are not mature enough, is the broad knowledge, the deep insight, the comprehensive grasp of ideas, that are fundamental for the professional journalist. "To call any study in the high school curriculum a 'course in journalism' or ;to list such a course as 'vocational' certainly gives the pupils and the public .the impression that we are undertaking to turn out newspaper men and women."