Traditional or Digital Photojournalism Education? A Survey of Four-Year Photo Programs and Small Dailies' Photo Needs

Abstract

This article is based on a national survey of schools with a four-year, photography program under a Communication Department, and of national daily newspapers with a circulation under 50,000. The researcher was interested in defining the knowledge needed by a graduate from a photo program to find employment at a small daily newspaper. Department chairs or sequence heads of each college program were asked to fill out the same survey given to the photo editors of the dailies selected. The questions ranged from photo equipment to instruction in digital and word processing software. The results showed both colleges and newspapers are embracing the new technology of computer enhanced instruction. Dailies rated the use of negative or slide scanners as most important, while colleges rated the use of computer software for photography most important. Another result of the survey is that both groups place little significance on medium and large format photography and photography assignments such as food or fashion illustration. Educators rated having a journalism background ninth in importance. This result is interesting when one considers that more than 85 percent of photography programs belong to Journalism Departments. This article explores possible curriculum changes to a Photojournalism/Visual Communication program.