Emory Bored with Journalism Dept.?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The journalism program at Atlanta-based Emory University is winding down and will disappear in two years, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robin Forman announced last week.

The journalism department, one of four programs being phased out, according to reports in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Knightcenter@utexas.edu Web site, not surprisingly, is not reacting well to being consigned to extinction by the university.  Former Journal-Constitution Managing Editor Hank Klibanoff, who heads the school's journalism program, voiced disappointment, claiming that discontinuing the journalism department translates into a less-informed public and fewer critical thinkers.

With Emory joining other schools such as the University of Colorado in eliminating journalism as a major (see "TUOL" posts 2/22/11 & 8/26/10), journalism advocates are seeking salvation in a "teaching hospital" approach to journalism education, emphasizing professional training over an academic mindset and focusing on digital communication.