[AEJMC Newspaper Division list] will this be known as the "naming convention"

[Wendell Cochran]

Well, if nothing else we're finding out that a lot of people are working
this summer (or at least reading e-mail).

I've been a "newspaper" person for 42 years. I know the term is passe', but
as others have said, the concept is not. I, frankly, would like to see all
the "adjectives" go away. I want to teach journalism. By that, I mean I
want to teach and practice the art and science of gathering information,
analyzing and organizing information and presenting information. The
platform increasingly is meaningless.

So, I would bring together all the groups in AEJMC who want to do
"journalism" under one big umbrella to see what we can learn from one
another. I would let the folks who do persuasion and advocacy form their
own group. And those who do theory. And so on. I would hope that we all
would find room for the "ethicists" and "policy" types under whichever of
the broad groups the individuals felt most comfortable. Until the day comes
when that sweeping reorganization seems afoot, it seems wrong to me to cast
aside a name merely for the sake of appearing to be more "with it."

One thing I will share is that we are in the process of redoing our
undergraduate curriculum. Despite some fairly provocative changes, and not
a few rice bowls being broken, the only thing we can't agree on is what to
call the segments of our new program. And nearly 30 years after some of us
started doing it, people still don't agree on what to call
"computer-assisted journalism."

wc

Wendell Cochran
Division Director, Journalism
American University
202 885-2075
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