It seems to be a simple question. But asking/debating whether journalists should learn to code and whether universities should teach their journalism students to code has taken on a life of its own. The latest conflagration started with an Atlantic article by Olga Khazan. She makes interesting points, but I don’t agree. I think an understanding of code, of learning at least the basics can help any journalist or anyone in an increasingly digital world.
Steve Buttry’s response outlines the points I would make. I admit to a bias because my college journalism department has merged with the computer science department. We’re still working on figuring out how to make the most out of the merger, but our students take basic coding and have the opportunity to do more. We encourage students to write, to edit, to design, to solve problems, to think critically about issues. How you tell stories doesn’t have to be in the same way we’ve always told stories.
I posted Steve’s response on Facebook and got interesting responses. One from Laura King-Homan, a former Omaha World-Herald colleague who now works for a tech company. Her take reminded me that we can’t think just about traditional journalism jobs or models anymore when designing curriculum. We have to expand our view of what journalists/writers/editors can do. That’s not to say I don’t wholeheartedly cajole, encourage and advise students to begin in news. The changing marketplace and the changing economics of news and opportunities outside traditional news outlets means we do have to look outside as well. Laura says there are opportunities outside the newsroom:
“Software development companies WANT journalism professionals (I am an example) and the more you know about the “tech” side the more appealing you will be if you decide to use your degree outside of a newsroom, blasphemy I know. Being able to craft a coherent paragraph and code a website makes you very appealing.”
Patrick Keaveny, who graduated from our program with emphasis in computer science and news, sees benefits in developing how you think and solve problems. He now is working as a communications intern with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Johannesburg, South Africa. Patrick writes:
“One thing I would add to the list is that learning code helps you to think in problem-solving terms; the systematic breakdown of an issue at hand and finding the most effective ways to approach it. It does wonders for writing investigative pieces and gaining insight into a particular news story. I think it’s a difficult prospect though, as writing/creativity and developing code/systems tend to use different sides of the brain, making it difficult for journalists to learn programming concepts. Which makes them all the more attractive to employers if they succeed!”
Managing a journalism curriculum is difficult as journalism changes so quickly. We emphasis the basics of good writing, creativity, critical thinking and ethical decision-making in all of our classes. People who call themselves “word people” need to grasp the meaning of data, of finding stories in data. In an increasingly digital world. the ability to code can help open doors and lead to new experiences we haven’t thought of yet. Making the tools available to navigate in that world just makes sense.
