Hey. I’m currently a high school junior and I’m trying to narrow down a few possible majors to make college searching easier. I’ve always loved writing and would flat out do a creative writing major if I though it was at all realistic or smart, but since it’s not, I’ve decided that journalism seems like a good choice. Is journalism dead like a lot of people are saying? Also I’m also really passionate about politics and if I went journalism I would probably double in poli sci. Would they work together well (job search wise)? What are some good schools to look at for them, I’ve already heard some nice things about Washington and lee.
Journalism will always be needed. Print journalism is declining, but it is transitioning into an online format. Will journalism ever be a profession where you can become rich? Very unlikely. If you become a journalist, you’ll never be rich. But if it’s what you want to do, then follow your interests. Polisci gives you an opportunity to become well-versed in a specific kind of journalism and also gives you other career options (I’m double-majoring in polisci and journalism).
There are a lot of great journalism schools. Washington and Lee is a good one, yes, as is Northwestern, Mizzou, USC, Oregon, NYU, Florida, UT-Austin, and others (if you Google, you’ll find a ton of lists). Find a school that has an independent school newspaper, as that’ll be where you’ll get experience and clips.