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Newspapers in Education: Modern Oxymoron

Editor & Publisher: Major Survey Finds ‘Need to Rethink’ Newpaper in Education Programs. Teachers are using more online sources to discuss news-related issues in the classroom, with less use of newspapers — particularly local daily publications — according to a new survey from the Carnegie Knight Task Force at Harvard University.

So, teachers are following their students instead of tradition. This should not be a big surprise.

Newspaper companies have been treating NIE programs like stepchildren for a long time now. Not once during my more than two decades in newspaper journalism did any employer ask me to visit as school as part of that initiative. I’d have gladly done it.

What papers can and should be teaching in the community — and especially in classrooms — is modern media literacy. That would do more to help their future than giving away the manufactured product.

1 Comment on “Newspapers in Education: Modern Oxymoron”

  1. #1 Frank Baker
    on Jan 29th, 2007 at 5:07 pm

    Dan, could not agree more. NIE has turned into an operation that only publishes supplements that it can get advertisers to underwrite. If NIE spent more time on media literacy and how news is manufactured, then teachers would have something. Right now, they are left with next to nothing.
    Frank Baker http://www.frankwbaker.com (media literacy clearinghouse)