Columbia Journalism sChool Winter 2010 - Berkeley Graduate ...

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Columbia Journalism sChool Winter 2010
Nicholas Lemann
Dean’s letter
—
We began the 2008–2009 academic year with an opening-day talk
to the incoming Class of 2009 by Leonard Downie, Jr., who was
just then stepping down after 17 years as executive editor of The
Washington Post. Len spoke eloquently about his concern over
the erosion of economic support for what he called “accountability
journalism,” the core reportorial function of the press and what
most of our students want to do in life. Afterwards, Len and I
went up to my office to talk, and not long after we decided to produce
a major report that would survey the landscape of accountability
journalism and then suggest ways it might be supported in the
future. Before long Michael Schudson, a distinguished scholar on
our faculty, had signed on as co-author, and the Revson Foundation
as lead funder.
Not much more than a year later, in mid-October 2009, the Downie-Schudson
report was published. It is called “The Reconstruction of American Journalism.”
You can find a full text at www.journalism.columbia.edu/journalismreport.
It represents the school’s single biggest effort, in the almost seven years I
have been dean, to address a larger issue in our profession.
The results have been highly gratifying. At a time when the air is thick with
discussions on the future of journalism, our report stood out and gained
an unusual degree of attention. There were hundreds of articles about it
published all over the world — in most of the leading American publications,
and as far away as France, Germany and Korea. Len and Michael have been
constant and vigorous participants in discussions at the highest levels of the
news business, the nonprofit sector, and government. In early February our
friends at the Reuters Center in Oxford will hold a two-day conference on
the report, which is meant to launch a follow-on effort for Europe, where
journalism is having many of the same economic problems.
It’s a sign of both the quality of the report and of the stature of the Journalism
School that it has had so much impact. We aren’t planning another report,
but we are hoping to launch some new initiatives in 2010 that should maintain
our central role in this all-important conversation. One, we hope, will
be a follow-up to the report’s recommendation that journalism schools
and their home universities find a way to be more significant producers of
accountability journalism. Another will aim to generate a discussion of
what’s happening in the economic market for journalism, especially digital
journalism, that is as significant and helpful as the report’s discussion of
public policy and journalism has been. Here’s hoping that in one of my next
few dean’s letters, I will be able to report more fully on the start of these
ventures.
introducing:
ColumBia
JournaliSm
SChool
—
By Michael Kubin ’05, Steve
Wolgast ’92, and Andrew Pergam ’01
Alumni Board Communications
Subcommittee
ThiS STory iS aBouT the magazine you’re
holding, but let’s begin with a bit about
breath mints. One participant in a Certs
TV commercial would say, “It’s a breath
mint!” while the other would argue, “It’s a
candy mint!” The announcer then resolved
the dilemma by explaining that Certs is
“Two, two, two mints in one!”
And so it is with Columbia Journalism
School: It’s both the School’s publication
(formerly called 116th & Broadway) as well
as the newspaper for graduates (which
used to be the Alumni Journal). So it’s
two, two, two publications in one.
Your Alumni Board has been working
on this project in conjunction with Irena
Choi Stern ’01 and a professional magazine
designer for over a year; our intention is for
this new publication to serve our community
more efficiently and effectively than before.
Specifically, you will be receiving three
issues per year, each with its own focus:
Fall: Back to school — what’s new
Winter: What’s happening now
Spring: The year’s wrap-up, and looking ahead
News about alumni will be included
prominently in each issue in a dedicated
section. The intention is for it to be a useful
and informative publication for our community;
to that end we solicit and welcome
alumni contributions on School- and industry-
related subjects. Current students are
equally welcome to submit pieces for
publication. As a reflection of the increasingly
important role of the Internet,
Columbia Journalism School will continue
to appear online in its entirety. Its Web site
(www.journalism.columbia.edu) will also
be the place for you to look for breaking
news. We sincerely hope you see this new
publication as progress and we look forward
to your comments and suggestions.