Because technology is changing so rapidly, Fiedler argues, aspiring journalists should spend more time developing subject-based expertise and less time learning practical skills that could be obsolete in a few years — and which, furthermore, could be learned at a weekend seminar or during a summer job. (BU already boasts a strong science-writing program.) It’s a persuasive argument. But this past June, when — in his role as co-author of the aforementioned Carnegie-Knight report — he made the same case during a journalism-education conference at the Shorenstein Center, some in the audience took umbrage at what they felt was a condemnation of their basic M.O.
“There was an unsteady rumble [in the room],” Jennifer Reeves, a journalism professor at the University of Missouri (which is known for its practical approach) blogged afterward. “After, the room was pretty hot and bothered for about 20 minutes . . . the conversation continued into drink time and into dinner time . . . a TON of emotion.”
If Fiedler pursues this goal at BU — and he seems inclined to — he may discover that not all of his faculty are on board. He might also inadvertently push prospective BU students — undergrad and grad, in Massachusetts and elsewhere — toward the more utilitarian journalism programs at Northeastern and Emerson, both of which offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. But given Fiedler’s recent executive-search committee ties, he’s operating from a position of unusual strength. If he decides he wants to re-invent the journalism department, he’ll probably get his way.
To read the “Don’t Quote Me” blog, go to thePhoenix.com/medialog. Adam Reilly can be reached atareilly[a]phx.com.
Related:
Bully for BU!, Biolab follies, Senior years, More 
- Bully for BU!
After six years at the Phoenix , I recently got my first pre-emptive libel threat. It came, most unexpectedly, from an investigative reporter. And beyond the fact that this struck me as a blatant attempt at intimidation, it demonstrated how tricky journalism's new, collaboration-driven future could be.
- Biolab follies
In the beginning — way back in the fall of 2003, when the “War on Terror” was still young — the notion that anything could derail the Boston University biolab seemed absurd.
- Senior years
These are the BU Evergreeners — chatty and well-dressed, brandishing ballpoints and Starbucks.
- Across the Universe
Intuition tells us that certain places are powerful, that certain spaces are sacred, and that we are sometimes in the presence of cosmic energy.
- Making their mark
Universities need their ivy-covered red-brick towers and classical stone porticoes to remind students of their roots in the past.
- Are universities selling out to oil nations?
As Academia searches for elusive dollars in a downward economy, oil-rich nations are enticing American schools to open satellite campuses in the Gulf.
- Digital language at the PRC
How important would you say Ansel Adams is to the modern trends of digital art? If your first inclination is to answer, "Not at all," you're probably right.
- Old masters
Last month, students at Boston Conservatory and Boston University paid tribute to two notables of modern dance's second generation in the best possible way: by performing their work.
- Academia under attack . . . by zombies
Ah, kids these days. What with their tight pants and cigarettes and rising-from-the-dead-to-nosh-on-delicious-human-flesh . . .
- Budgeting your time
There are two possible reasons Friday is the best day of the week for a college student.
- You wear it well
The relationship between our bodies and our clothing is, of course, intimate.
- Winged feet
Dance highlights from the fall season.
- Less
Topics:
Media -- Dont Quote Me
, Tom Fiedler, Harvard University, Fidel Castro, More
, Tom Fiedler, Harvard University, Fidel Castro, Boston University, Pulitzer Prize Committee, Marty Baron, Henry Kissinger, Society of Professional Journalists, University of Missouri System, Shorenstein Center, Less
