PR and journalism education don’t need a divorce
Journalism education needs more public relations and business emphasis, not less. That’s what immeditately occurs to me after reading 10 reasons Why Journalism Schools Should Get Rid of PR. Bob Conrad argues that moving PR programs out of J-schools and into business schools will improve the education for PR students.
He’s probably right. But such a move would seriously damage the journalism education at the school.
PR and journalism education need more integration, not separation. Both must now incorporate social media practices and new technology adoption. And both would be well-served by partnerships with business schools, since a journalism needs more entrepreneurs and PR “is inherently a business function in most organizations,” as Conrad writes.
To me, Conrad’s problems with journalism education represent a list of things to fix, not escape from.
