• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / College Majors / CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

December 4, 2020 //  by Alexandra Guarino

FacebookTweet

It’s no secret that print journalism is not what it used to be. People don’t wake up on Sunday morning and go to the corner store to get the newspaper. No one spends their morning with a coffee in one hand and USA Today in the other. Now, people unplug their phone from the charger in the morning to see Apple News notifications. Everything one needs to know about the country is held tightly in their fingertips. However, just because newspapers prove not as popular as they used to be, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to learn from print journalism.

Columnists and news journalists learned how to report unbiasedly and how to reach their audience in the best way possible; these skills don’t change even if the news is printed in a newspaper or typed across your laptop. In today’s day and age, the knowledge of print journalism is just not enough. With the introduction of digital news comes the need to know more about website platforming and media rights.

Check out CM’s guide to the print and digital journalism major.

Class Schedule

unsplash.com

With many classes that a journalism major must take to be successful, check out just a handful of classes that will give you a full and clear understanding of what it takes to be a journalist.

1. News Writing

News writing is arguably the most important skill you have to learn. Do you remember anything from the past 12 years of essay writing? Well, forget everything. This class will teach you a new way of writing, with the help of your AP Style book of course.

“News writing is kind of a different language. The AP Style book became my best friend,” said Penn State communications student Sarah Stachowski.

Did high school condition you to think that if you used enough big words, your teacher would think you knew what you were talking about? Sorry to say, that will no longer work.

2. News Reporting

A news reporting class is supposed to make you feel like you are placed in the center of a newsroom. Your classmates are your new coworkers and your sources are also their sources. In this class, you will learn how to ask the right questions when interviewing someone. You learn how to listen to a speech, a conference or a meeting and pick out the most important and newsworthy part of it. A news reporter has the world on their shoulders, and this class teaches you exactly how to handle it.

3. News Ethics

News ethics is a crowd pleaser! While it is not super interesting, it is eye opening. Journalists often face the question: “Will the American people be hurt or offended if I publish this?” Just saying, that’s a lot of pressure! In this class, introduce yourself to the SPJ Code of Ethics. By the end of the semester, you will know it like the back of your hand. In order to successfully face journalistic ethical dilemmas, you have to know the code. You will learn when it’s time to either drop a story lead or keep digging for more.

4. Multimedia Production

Although print journalism may be dying, it doesn’t mean that news is dying. The multimedia production class teaches you about the most effective ways to share news across different platforms. Certain information can be best explained in an article, while others need interactive images and a social media boost. Do you know how to write a professional tweet? Probably not, but you will soon!

“The most useful thing I learned in this class was how to navigate social media from a business perspective,” said Penn State communications student Frankie Molen.

Shockingly, most people get their news from Twitter—and you will learn how to deliver that.

5. American Journalism

We had to take history classes our whole lives, so we learned enough to never repeat our mistakes. The same goes for American journalism. This class teaches you about the history of journalism in the country, so students focus on what people did right and what they did wrong. A big portion of this class is about fully understanding the First Amendment and the freedom of the press. Journalists serve as a watchdog to the government, and this class sets you up to do just that.

Internships

unsplash.com

Journalism internships take shape in many different fields of interest and mean many different jobs and positions.

1. News and Politics

When people first think of news reporting or even journalism, politics is the first topic to come to mind. You can normally find Internships in news/politics at places like The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, CNN, FOX, MNBC, AP Press or Politico.

2. Sports

Everyone who has any interest in sports often reads about their favorite basketball game or about the day of football they missed.

“I rely on the bleacher report almost every Sunday, I couldn’t live without it,” said sports lover and Farleigh Dickinson student AJ Cavallaro.

Jobs in this field include ESPN, Bleacher Report, Nextstar Media Group, Sports Illustrated and WBCB.

3. Fashion and Lifestyle

Think about Devil Wears Prada but in real life! Interning for a fashion and lifestyle magazine may seem fun and glamorous from the outside, yet it may not be that in reality. The hours are long, but the experience is more than worth it. Common places to intern include Refinery 21, Elle, Marie Claire, Society 19, CR Fashion Book, In Style and Harper’s Bazaar.

Career paths

unsplash.com

Finding a job in journalism can be very tricky. Due to the switch to digital journalism, many print journalists lost their jobs. To land the dream journalism job, networking needs to become your second language, and your communication skills must be better than ever.

1. News/Staff Writer

The news writer, also known as the mastermind behind every article you read. This person is the one who sorts out the facts, double checks and publishes information out to the public. We have to thank the staff writers for putting both political nonsense and big COVID-19 related medical terms into understandable normal people phrases. These journalists are your primary source of news, your sports writers and your fashion guides. They are your skin routine experts and can sometimes even be your therapists.

2. News Reporter

News reporters are the middlemen between the government and yourself.  They are your eyes and ears all around the world. Reporters can sit in their newsroom with a camera in front of their face or they can travel around the country. They might even hang around the White House to listen to a press conference. This job might sound glamorous, but don’t doubt the challenge.

3. Editor

The editor for a magazine is not only the person who dots the I’s and crosses the T’s. This is the person who has the final say about the article as a whole. They decide what information writers should include in their article, and which images should accompany their story. The editor-in-chief holds the most authority at the magazine and can be a bit scary. I would personally cut off my right arm before I disagreed with someone like Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief at Vogue.

4. Social Media

Social media jobs are newer for journalists, and they prove very necessary. As of right now, the public’s main source of news is found through social media. Everyone looks to Twitter’s trending page, Instagram stories and TikTok hashtags to find out exactly what is going on in the world. Remember, a journalist’s job revolves around informing the people, and that duty doesn’t change when the platform changes. Information becomes available in seconds, and most of that information is shared through different social media platforms.

Reviews

unsplash.com

“I absolutely love my major and so many of my professors know so much and are always ready to teach and help us learn. Some professors in the department have some, let’s just say antiquated views, but I genuinely don’t think that I could have picked a better college to major in journalism at,” said Penn State senior Allie Bausinger.

“I have made really good connections with my professors and the other journalism alumni that came out of Penn State. I loved my time here and I learned so much,” said Penn State alumni Nicolette Endres.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better college experience and my major had a lot to do with that. I loved being surrounded by experienced professors and like-minded students,” said PSU alumni Lauren Cavalli.

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: College Majors Life

About Alexandra Guarino

Alexandra is a junior at Penn State studying journalism and political science. She loves fashion, politics and everything in between.

You May Also Like

film clapper

College Magazine’s Complete Guide to the Film Major

CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

College Magazine’s Guide to the Special Education Major

books

College Magazine’s Guide to the Comparative Literature Major

Writer

How to Use Your Creative Writing Degree: 10 Tips and Tricks

agricultural communications major

The Agricultural Communications Major: Everything You Need to Know

computer studying

CM’s Guide to the Communication Arts-Media Management Major

japanese major

CM’s Official Guide to the Japanese Major

future teacher

CM’s Ultimate Guide to the English Education Major

Four Students Graduating

10 Social Science Majors that Prove Liberal Arts Degrees Aren’t Worthless

cat memes

10 Purr-sonalities You’re Bound to Meet in College

A Master Guide to Debunking the Political Communication Major

I Survived Public Relations Research and Strategies at FAMU

marine science

Fish Are Friends, Not Food! CM’s Guide to the Marine Science Major

a computer with code on the screen

College Magazine’s Guide to the Information Science Major

professionals working together

CM’s Guide to the Public Relations Major

Guide to the Global Health Major: The Major You Never Knew You Wanted

harry potter

All Sorted: If the Harry Potter Sorting Hat Took on Muggle College Majors

italian major

CM’s Guide to the Italian Major: What Makes It So Cool?

Friends

7 College Majors Reimagined as Friends Episodes

education major

CM’s Guide to the Education Major 2020

communication major

CM’s Guide to the Communication Major

how to be a publisher

10 Ways English Majors Stand Out to Publishing Companies

2 people in masks sip from a smoothie together

A Slightly Stereotypical Take on What Each Major is Doing During Quarantine

Previous Post: « Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year
Next Post: The Döner Project: My Berlin Budget as a College Student »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

Chill Colleges
2978

CM’s Top 10 Most Chill Colleges in the Country

climate change protest
335

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

food buffet
304

Top 10 Colleges with the Most Delicious On and Off Campus Food Options

84

The 10 Best Organizations You Should Donate To in 2021

34

College Magazine’s Top 10 Schools for Aspiring Linguists

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.