THE AMERICAN WOMAN JOURNALIST.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 826, 3 October 1916, Page 4

THE AMERICAN WOMAN JOURNALIST.

[f you arc a woman ami live in tin United States, and you wish to boeonn a journalist only you will probabl.i prefer to lie called a newspaper womai you will turn your at lent ion to oik of (lie schools of journalism, of whirl there arc H extant in the land. Tci years ago a school which professed t( teach journalism as other schools toft el medicine or law would have been scoff eel ii-1 in America. These schools an turning out yearly graduates who g< directly into newspaper ol'lices and make good with the most crotchety of edi tors. One school with which the write happens to be particularly familial turned out in .Tune 1M graduates who gi one of whom went to first-class publi cations or advertising llrms at gooc salaries. In the words of the founder of tin first institution of the kind— Deal Walter Williams, of the University o Missouri, who is the president of tin Woidd Press Congress, which is to con venein Sydney, N.S.W., in March. ISUB —"We do not make journalists here but we seek to train the men am women who come with natural aptitude for journalism, so that they may ob serve accurately. think clearly, am write with the same accuracy and (dear ness with which they see and think.' Dean Williams has had the satisfaction of seeing all his graduates; placoi •rear after year in active newspape work, and of having his school cojiiec n l.'J other universities. Practically al State universities not possessing a lik school are now discussing the estali lisluncnt of one, and unopiestionsibl; within another decade :i school of join ualisin will he looked upon as an intc cjral part of all modern universities ';;s1 as we now look upon schools o ,'odicine. law and engineering. Women and men en rid in the school of journalism in about a two to on ratio. The requirements for entraininto the most successfully organise ones are the same as the requirement for entrance into other professions schools, viz., the completion of eigh vears of primary work, four years o high school, and two years of eollegiat work, the latter including work in Knj; lish, other modern languages, a classi •al language, philosophy, history, matin undies, and physical and biological sci ••nee. The first work in the journalisi school is a, preliminary course in news in which the student gets informatio on the methods of getting news, new values, the writing of news and th Work of Press associations. As labora t'ory work in this course she is asked t bring in news items ''on her own' (only she would never understand in struct ions couched in this un-Americai phrase), and she watches the paper wit a beating heart to see how much of he "stuff'-' "gets in." Probably no mag iiificent scoop of after years will lie rea with so much of a flutter as will tha first innocuous little contribution stat : ng that "Mrs John Smith shopped i "cntervillo to-day." For the most sue ■essful school of journalism has as it ■aboratorv product a newspaper o which all the work other than median! •ill, is done by students of the schoc under the direction of the .faculty. Thi ; ~ a real newspaper, edited and puldisl

Ed for real people, and dealing with real news and business conditions, and J maintained by receipts from advertising and subscription. Thus the stu- ■ (lent who learns in the classroom the , principles of journalism learns by actual work upon a newspaper the practice of journa I ism. Accompanying the course on news will ■■ be a lecture course on the history and | principles of journalism, of newspaper I ninhing. of journalism in various periods' and conditions, its meaning and its; aims and its fundamental problems.! She will probably want to take a look •jat the business side of the paper, and •la course in the problems of advertising ,! wil' afford an analytical study of pre- ] , : sent-day advertising campaigns, the, I growth of the department store, the until order business, and the chain store in their relations (o modern advertising. 1 1 The embryonic journalist now passesi on to reporting, the first course of which gives her practice assignments in gatherland writing news for a daily newspaper. The next course in reporting gives her '. actual assignments, and she is given first one "run" and then another until 'she has covered all the city fields. I ', A copy reading course gives instructions and practice in editing newspaper ['copy ami writing heads —the net result of which is also used in the daily news- 1 'paper. A course in reference book work points to the way in which information may be obtained with the least possible , expenditure of time and effort. News-: paper illustration courses aim to help tin- cartoonist and illustrator, while ' courses in photo, illustration, illustration copy, and advertising design are. jail laboratory courses dealing with the I ■illustration and decoration of copy. ] In the senior year the. student con-; "jtinucs her work in reporting, takes more copy reading, a course in the writing of editorials (leaders), and perhaps a! i course in newspaper direction, which; ; I gives instruction in the conduct of| newspapers from the standpoint of edi'torinl direction and control. She will , jbegin to specialise according to her tal'jents ami ambitions. If she is interest] I'd in country newspaper work, and thisj is a big field for the journalist of Ame-l J rica, she will lake courses dealing with i the special editorial and news problems I ,in the small town and country field. The girl who has a business trend. will take courses in the soliciting of advertising, which give instructions,! [with actual practice, in salesmanship as I {applied to advertising in which success-' !ful methods of publishers' co-operation ! ;t(i produce results fir advertisers are; 1 (studied. She will take additional' '[courses in advertisement writing, and i probably supplement them with courses) "in art from the main college. In the, [meantime she is taking courses in eco-! noniies, sociology, psychology, political j ,srienee and public law, and other allied.; courses which will yield the best results'; to the woman who writes. J At the end of four years' work she is; . awarded a degree of bachelor of jour-j iialism. Five years will enable; her to j I win both the journalist 's degree and the J degree of bachelor of arts. Special stuJ dents sometimes enter the school of jour ! .iialism to study some special phase of . I newspaper work-. For these the school - i assumes no responsibility and awards no ~ ! degree.- M.M.. in the Melbourne; i"Age.'" j ..I Only one remedy for coughs and colds: "bears' the name "NAZOL." And "NAZOL" is the quickest, surest,; cheapest reinedv. Beware of "just n> j goods." Accept'nothing but "NAZOL."!