Journalism at Hillsdale College: It’s a Start

 

In a piece I wrote a few weeks ago, we were lamenting the sad state of journalism, how it has reached a new level of bias and corruption. Many of us commented that we needed a journalism program that teaches participants the ethics of, and appropriate approach to, media reporting, and we wondered where a person might go to get a well-rounded and balanced approach. I’ve discovered one solution: Hillsdale College.

Admirably, I think, Hillsdale grounds its journalism program in “doing journalism.” It describes its program to prospective students in this way:

Learn journalism by actually doing journalism. Our Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism is devoted to the restoration of ethical, high-minded journalism standards and is home to two media outlets: The Collegian, our award-winning newspaper, and WRFH 101.7FM. You’ll get an extensive experience in print and broadcast journalism, as well as opportunities to lead your peers. When you combine your traditional academic major and core liberal arts background with journalism, you’ll get the training you need to think critically and communicate effectively to broad audiences. Hillsdale journalism alumni have continued on to careers at the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, ESPN, National Review, Daily Beast, Nashville Public Radio, and many more. Journalism is offered as a minor only.

Teaching journalism as a minor makes a significant statement, as its Director of the program, John J. Miller explains:

Here’s one mark of a good journalism program: It puts a campus newspaper or a radio station at its center. Here’s another: It doesn’t overdose journalism students on journalism courses. At my college, journalism is not a major—it’s a minor, which puts the subject in its proper place.

Miller emphasizes the importance of getting one’s hands dirty, actually doing the work of journalism. But one needs to have a solid foundation like the one that Hillsdale College provides.

One other factor that impressed me was the Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Journalism, which Hillsdale awards to a practicing journalist to spend two weeks in residence. The Pulliam teach a one-credit course, work with the staff of the student newspaper and deliver a public lecture. Past Pulliam Fellows have included Richard Brookhiser,Tim Carney, Andrew Ferguson, Nolan Finley, Jonah Goldberg, Stephen Hayes, Mark Hemingway, Mollie Hemingway, William McGurn, Naomi Schaefer Riley, P.J. O’Rourke, James Rosen, David Satter, Mark Steyn, Kimberley Strassel, Kevin Williamson, Lee Habeeb, and David Goldman. Not only are some of the best journalists selected for this program, but Hillsdale sends the message that high quality journalism is expected and celebrated .

I think the Hillsdale College program provides an admirable approach to, and hope for the future of, journalism. What do you think?

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  1. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    For the most part journalism schools are the problem not the solution.

    • #1
  2. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    You know I was just thinking this morning that Hillsdale should introduce a law school. It’s interesting to see this post this morning in light of that thought. Maybe they could call it the Abel Upshur School of Law, but that might be a little too Jeffersonian for them. Anyway, good piece and thanks for the write-up.

    • #2
  3. Kay of MT Inactive
    Kay of MT
    @KayofMT

    Susan Quinn: I think the Hillsdale College program provides an admirable approach to, and hope for the future of, journalism. What do you think?

    I agree with you. My mother minored in journalism, won 3rd place in the Forest Lawn Writing Collegiate competition 1953 and 1954. She took the 1st place in 1955.  For some reason I cannot find any reference to this writing competition by Forest Lawn in a search.

    • #3
  4. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Hillsdale President’s Club member here.  Hillsdale offers the best liberal arts education anywhere, especially English.  Anything they do is done well, and their journalism students don’t learn how to change the world, just how to report on the progress of the world, and the state of the world and the nation as they are today.  Integrity is Number One at Hillsdale.

    • #4
  5. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Concretevol (View Comment):
    For the most part journalism schools are the problem not the solution.

    I couldn’t agree more. I think Hillsdale’s offering with a liberal arts approach is a great way to go!

    • #5
  6. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Robert McReynolds (View Comment):
    You know I was just thinking this morning that Hillsdale should introduce a law school. It’s interesting to see this post this morning in light of that thought. Maybe they could call it the Abel Upshur School of Law, but that might be a little too Jeffersonian for them. Anyway, good piece and thanks for the write-up.

    Thanks, Robert. I appreciate your thinking!

    • #6
  7. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    Hillsdale President’s Club member here. Hillsdale offers the best liberal arts education anywhere, especially English. Anything they do is done well, and their journalism students don’t learn how to change the world, just how to report on the progress of the world, and the state of the world and the nation as they are today. Integrity is Number One at Hillsdale.

    Thanks for chiming in, RushBabe. I completely agree!!

    • #7
  8. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    Hillsdale President’s Club member here. Hillsdale offers the best liberal arts education anywhere, especially English. Anything they do is done well, and their journalism students don’t learn how to change the world, just how to report on the progress of the world, and the state of the world and the nation as they are today. Integrity is Number One at Hillsdale.

    That’s why it is one of five schools on my Acceptable List of Colleges that my son will get to choose from in 17 years. This list is a list of schools that I am going to be willing to pay for/go in debt for.

    1. Hillsdale
    2. Grove City College
    3. College of Ozarks
    4. Harding University
    5. Liberty University
    • #8
  9. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Robert McReynolds (View Comment):
    That’s why it is one of five schools on my Acceptable List of Colleges that my son will get to choose from in 17 years. This list is a list of schools that I am going to be willing to pay for/go in debt for.

    I wish more parents felt compelled to insist on the choices available. Well done.

    • #9
  10. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    If anyone is curious about the well-rounded program Hillsdale has at the undergraduate level, go here.

    • #10
  11. Vectorman Inactive
    Vectorman
    @Vectorman

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    Hillsdale President’s Club member here. Hillsdale offers the best liberal arts education anywhere, especially English. Anything they do is done well, and their journalism students don’t learn how to change the world, just how to report on the progress of the world, and the state of the world and the nation as they are today. Integrity is Number One at Hillsdale.

    In addition to Hillsdale, Ricochet members also support journalism at the Michael Ramirez meet-up (John J. Miller helping) and the upcoming Mother of all Ricochet meet-ups.

    • #11
  12. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Vectorman (View Comment):
    In addition to Hillsdale, Ricochet members also support journalism at the Michael Ramirez meet-up (John J. Miller helping) and the upcoming Mother of all Ricochet meet-ups.

    I’m just barely going to miss the latter, Vectorman. We’ll be at the Library in October, darn it.

    • #12
  13. Publius Inactive
    Publius
    @Publius

    One of the things that I like about Hillsdale’s approach to teaching journalism is that they treat it as a minor rather than a major end goal.  They treat journalism is means rather than an end.

    • #13
  14. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Publius (View Comment):
    One of the things that I like about Hillsdale’s approach to teaching journalism is that they treat it as a minor rather than a major end goal. They treat journalism is means rather than an end.

    I agree, Publius. But it occurred to me earlier today to wonder whether they’ll attract students to a program that isn’t degreed. I don’t care about that, but students today care so much about prestige, will a minor be enough to get a job in liberal organizations? Someone has to infiltrate the enemy!

    • #14
  15. Nanda Panjandrum Member
    Nanda Panjandrum
    @

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    Publius (View Comment):
    One of the things that I like about Hillsdale’s approach to teaching journalism is that they treat it as a minor rather than a major end goal. They treat journalism is means rather than an end.

    I agree, Publius. But it occurred to me earlier today to wonder whether they’ll attract students to a program that isn’t degreed. I don’t care about that, but students today care so much about prestige, will a minor be enough to get a job in liberal organizations? Someone has to infiltrate the enemy!

    It will be enough to restore balance in conservative outlets, too, SQ…Those who’ve fallen prey to a victim mentality and ratings hunger, perhaps?  Then, we can think about infiltration. :-)

    • #15
  16. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Nanda Panjandrum (View Comment):
    It will be enough to restore balance in conservative outlets, too, SQ…Those who’ve fallen prey to a victim mentality and ratings hunger, perhaps? Then, we can think about infiltration.

    You’re right, Nanda. One step at a time! ;-)

    • #16
  17. A.C. Gleason Inactive
    A.C. Gleason
    @aarong3eason

    That seems like a very elegant solution. Journalism is an activity not an academic discipline so making it a practical minor seems perfect. Harrumph Hillsdale.

    • #17
  18. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Susan Quinn: Our Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism

    I wonder if I can get any of the Dow heirs to help me start a Rachel Carson fan club at Hillsdale.

    • #18
  19. tigerlily Member
    tigerlily
    @tigerlily

    Publius (View Comment):
    One of the things that I like about Hillsdale’s approach to teaching journalism is that they treat it as a minor rather than a major end goal. They treat journalism is means rather than an end.

    Yeah, I agree.

    • #19
  20. Nanda Panjandrum Member
    Nanda Panjandrum
    @

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: Our Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism

    I wonder if I can get any of the Dow heirs to help me start a Rachel Carson fan club at Hillsdale.

    HAHAHAHAHA to infinity!

    • #20
  21. Trinity Waters Member
    Trinity Waters
    @

    The content and tone of this post are admirable, but including a picture of Jonah put me off my feed.  He declared that the Hildabeast would have been OK.  He, along with the other ethically challenged Nevers like Ben Shapiro, are dead to us.  Niceties like journalism’s ethics are secondary concerns now.  Nice post.

    • #21
  22. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Nanda Panjandrum (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: Our Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism

    I wonder if I can get any of the Dow heirs to help me start a Rachel Carson fan club at Hillsdale.

    HAHAHAHAHA to infinity!

    And then they could fund a program in investigative journalism to find the source of that notion that a worldwide ban on DDT resulted in a rise in malaria cases.

    (I don’t hold it against Hillsdale that they take Dow money.  Our youngest son attended Hillsdale his first two years of college, and it’s a good place.)

    • #22
  23. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Trinity Waters (View Comment):
    The content and tone of this post are admirable, but including a picture of Jonah put me off my feed. He declared that the Hildabeast would have been OK. He, along with the other ethically challenged Nevers like Ben Shapiro, are dead to us.

    Don’t remind me of that bit about Hillary. I like Jonah Goldberg. I follow him on Twitter, and he is proof that it is possible to be both sane and NeverTrump.

     

    • #23
  24. Trinity Waters Member
    Trinity Waters
    @

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Trinity Waters (View Comment):
    The content and tone of this post are admirable, but including a picture of Jonah put me off my feed. He declared that the Hildabeast would have been OK. He, along with the other ethically challenged Nevers like Ben Shapiro, are dead to us.

    Don’t remind me of that bit about Hillary. I like Jonah Goldberg. I follow him on Twitter, and he is proof that it is possible to be both sane and NeverTrump.

    Sorry, Reticulator, but my head won’t abide both thoughts.  I pray for him to recover his balance, however, because he is so talented.

    • #24
  25. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Trinity Waters (View Comment):
    The content and tone of this post are admirable, but including a picture of Jonah put me off my feed. He declared that the Hildabeast would have been OK. He, along with the other ethically challenged Nevers like Ben Shapiro, are dead to us. Niceties like journalism’s ethics are secondary concerns now. Nice post.

    Sorry, TW, I disagree. I don’t put Ben Shapiro and Jonah in the same category. I don’t think Jonah would call himself a Never Trump. I think his feelings are similar to mine: I don’t like Trump. I will praise what he does well and criticize what he doesn’t do well. If you believe that a person who also criticizes Trump is a Never Trump, I completely disagree. Besides, I think it’s time to move on. I like Jonah a lot and he’s a favorite writer of mine.

    • #25
  26. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    There are a couple of other important points I want to make. First, the election is over. Trump won. Now is the time to focus on the current important issues, which is what this OP was about. We need to focus on how we are the standard bearers of ethical and honest journalism. We need to celebrate free speech, the diversity of opinions, whether or not we agree or disagree. We need not to condemn our friends who disagree with us, but criticize those who hold the country hostage to their ideological and leftists demands. They are the people who are the enemy.

    There are a whole range of opinions about Trump. For the most part, the Left is ignoring just about anything we say about him, so we should be able to express our ideas freely amongst ourselves and to those who actually listen. A school like Hillsdale will extol those virtues and teach them to the next generation of journalists.

    • #26
  27. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Yeah, and the fact that Dr. Larry Arnn is a Trump supporter helps!

    • #27
  28. Nanda Panjandrum Member
    Nanda Panjandrum
    @

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):
    the election is over. Trump won….There are a whole range of opinions about Trump…

    Hear, hear, SQ!  Let’s not start a need for triggering and safe spaces on our end of the spectrum, shall we?  Aren’t we tougher than that?

     

     

    • #28
  29. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    A.C. Gleason (View Comment):
    Journalism is an activity not an academic discipline so making it a practical minor seems perfect.

    Agreed. The academic aspects might be limited to legal guidelines and research methodology. All else can be learned on the job and tailored to individual employers.

    But that’s true of most professions. Most college degrees exist to satisfy arbitrary cultural expectations rather than educational needs. Employers could break that cycle, with some risk, by employing dedicated and capable people without regard of unnecessary credentials.

    • #29
  30. barbara lydick Inactive
    barbara lydick
    @barbaralydick

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    Hillsdale President’s Club member here. Hillsdale offers the best liberal arts education anywhere, especially English. Anything they do is done well, and their journalism students don’t learn how to change the world, just how to report on the progress of the world, and the state of the world and the nation as they are today. Integrity is Number One at Hillsdale.

    Hallelujah.  With so much emphasis on PC, MC, bias, etc., in journalism schools over the past decades, this is such a welcome approach.  And real journalists, schooled in history, current events, econ, etc. – even science and the English language.  My word, when the public finds out that there are the real ones out and about, they just may clamor for more of them.  May this become a trend and continue.

    This, BTW, coupled with Hillsdale’s  Barney Charter School Initiative, should put Hillsdale College on the big map where it belongs.

    • #30
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