Yesterday I got a glimpse of the future.
It looked pretty good.
I was invited on a snowy Tuesday to Episcopal Academy to speak to a class in their JTerm project. These are kids who have an interest in journalism and communications taught by Dr. T.J. Locke. The idea was first put on my radar by Courtney Brinkerhoff-Rau, who sits on an advisory board with me at Neumann University.
I am always interested in speaking to young people about writing and communications. I try to give them a glimpse of what life is like today in an industry that has been turned on its head in the past few years.
I explained to them the demands of working in a 24-hour news cycle, delivering information to readers who now want their news when they want it - not necessarily when we decide to deliver our print product - and across several platforms including print, online and mobile.
As usual, they are very likely light years ahead of me in getting a handle on the new technology I now swim in every day. It's pretty much a part of their lives and always has been.
For me, it's been a culture shock, one that I am fully embracing.
But I also warned them of the inherent dangers in pushing information to the public so fast, and the value to so many of our daily print readers of still holding that piece of paper in their hands.
The JTerm project at Episcopal is something I'd love to see all kids get an opportunity to experience. Basically, these kids are developing stories from across the globe. They are hearing from groups of kids who are spending time in Haiti and The Galapagos, as well as those scouring their Newtown Square campus for the latest scoop. They're writing stories, shooting video and taking pictures. They're pushing that information out on social media. You can follow them on Twitter by going to @EAJterm.
It was my honor to speak to them and describe a day in the life of a newspaper editor.
I think the future of journalism is in very good hands.
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