25 novels that should be read by journalism students

A list of 25 novels of interest to journalism students has been compiled by the blog of  OnlineCollege.org. It says it created the list because of how  literature and journalism so frequently hook up:

"Students really should explore this bizarre, beautiful and wholly logical relationship before embarking on a journalism career," says the organization, which provides information about online learning of all kinds. "Even though the industry's shape changes considerably along with inevitable technological upgrades, the lessons to be learned in history remain the same."

The top five novels listed are:

• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson: Easily considered the quintessential work of gonzo journalism, this classic novel transports readers to the darkest pockets in the "American Dream." Part memoir, part fiction, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas makes for an essential read when exploring different literary movements.
• Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West: "Miss Lonelyhearts" is actually a frustrated newspaper columnist ashamed with his advice column and foolhardy boss. Pitch-black comedy ensues, including horrifically, hilariously misjudged sex with both the boss' wife as well as a pushy regular reader.
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: Louse Fitzhugh's most beloved read might target young adult audiences, but can still delight students looking for a little nostalgia. Harriet M. Welsch makes more than her fair share of mistakes, but her pluck, determination and attachment to her spy notebook make her a fun, fictional investigative journalist.
• Bel Ami by Guy Maupassant: Former military man Georges Duroy manages to land a career in journalism, from which he begins professionally ascending. Unfortunately, he does so through manipulation, charm and other means of a scoundrel, preying mostly on successful women.
• Bunker 13 by Aniruddha Bahal: Despite debuting to worldwide acclaim, Bunker 13 still won the 2003 Bad Sex in Fiction Award, given by Literary Review. Journalism students with a love of spy action, sex and drugs might want to check out this tale of a magazine reporter serving as a double agent between Indian and Pakistani intelligence.

Quote, unquote: the future opportunities of journalism

"The value of studying journalism is in learning the writing, the research and understanding the ethical issues. Understanding what a story is . . . isn’t going to change. The ability to research and tell a story — this is what these young people should be learning here, because ultimately they are going to have to learn a new technology every few years. New journalists have to be specialists in all media types and this is not a huge problem for students who often learn these skills on their own. For example, it is amazing how many young people already have a blog when they start journalism school. For young people with an entrepreneurial spirit, journalism will continue to present lots of opportunities."

-- Michael Rogers, former futurist-in-residence at The New York Times, and one-time writer for Rolling Stone magazine, speaking to a symposium hosted in Halifax by the University of King’s College journalism school [reported in the Chronicle Herald].

Do J-schools teach what was, rather than what is and will be?

A recent to-and-fro on the Toronto Freelance Editors and Writers list (sub req'd) was about whether traditional skills and concepts taught in journalism schools are ill-equipping graduates for the real world.

Naturally, some people (including current teachers) felt that basic research, interviewing and writing skills are eminently transferrable, even if grads don't wind up in a traditional newsroom (assuming such things continue to exist).

Others contended, essentially, that journalism teachers aren't up to date with the skills to teach about applications and software and functions that their students will be expected to know.

The latter view was represented by Canice Leung, a recent graduate from Ryerson's magazine stream and I quote (with her permission):

No disrespect to any of my professors at Ryerson, who are talented and enthusiastic journalists, but I don't think it's enough for teachers, editors, publishers to say 'This is how it is, now prepare for it' in some lecture hall or in the newsroom. They can get away with not knowing how to shoot and edit photos/video, web languages such as Flash, CSS, HTML or PHP, lay out pages in Quark and InDesign or navigate the world of social media/web 2.0. We won't. Many entry-level positions now require proficiency in Photoshop, the web, video, photo, etc. to even be considered, and that's only going to become a mandatory requirement when print finally croaks in five or ten years.

I don't know all these skills, but the ones I do know were self-taught, which seems kind of ludicrous considering that — with the exception of social media — it was plain to see years ago that these areas would converge. I feel very bad for classmates who are beingpassed over for jobs despite their competent magazine skills, because they weren't prepared for the rest of it in school. (Side note: I'm glad Ryerson's j-school is changing its structure so students can dabble in multiple fields.)

I don't agree with Ms Leung about print croaking, but that's a post for another day. Her point is an important one, though one wonders how any journalism school can ever hope to get ahead of this curve or respond adequately to this perception.