Columbia Journalism Graduates: A Study of Their Employment and Earnings 9780231880008

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COLUMBIA JOURNALISM GRADUATES

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM GRADUATES A STUDY OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS

BY

C. W. STEFFLER, M.S. WITH A FOREWORD BY

ROSCOE C. E. BROWN, LITT.D., P R O F E S S O R OF J O U R N A L I S M , COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

New

York

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 1926

Copyright, 1926 B Y COLUMBIA U N I V E R S I T Y

PRESS

All rights reserved. Printed from type.

THE

PLIMPTON

Published October, 1926

PRESS

• NORWOOD

P R I N T E D IN T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S OP

• MASS. AMERICA

TO

HENRY WOODWARD SACKETT OF THE NEW T O R E BAR THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED

CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD

9

INTRODUCTORY

15

OCCUPATION

17

DETAILS

OF G R A D U A T E

EARNINGS THE

OF G H A D U A T E S EMPLOYMENT

.

.

OF G R A D U A T E S

REWARDS

DISTRIBUTION

OF J O U R N A L I S M

85

OF

GRADUATES

ON

MAGA-

OF

GRADUATES

ON

NEWS-

ZINES DISTRIBUTION PAPERS

45 67

89

91

FOREWORD like schools of law and medicine, have had in their early history to face the skepticism of the conservatives of the profession for which they train. N o argument based on theory can convince the old-time newspaper man, who says that the only way to learn journalism is by the trial-and-error method of the city room. Doubtless he can find instances of school instruction failing to square with the methods followed in his office, just as the self-taught engineer may sometimes be heard with justice to complain that very young1 graduates are over-theoretical in dealing with emergencies in which he takes rough, but effective, practical measures. The teacher of journalism may perhaps find a sufficient antidote to this skepticism, and a sufficient encouragement for his work in the steadily increasing hospitality of the leading and most progressive SCHOOLS OF JOURNALISM,

9

FOREWORD

newspapers to his pupils, and in his knowledge of the achievements of many of those pupils. Y e t neither he nor the newspaper world can measure the value of a school, or the employment problems presented by journalistic conditions without more specific and comprehensive information. T o supply, so far as possible, this information with respect to the School of Journalism of Columbia University in its relations with the journalistic profession, the inquiry resulting in this volume was carried on under a grant by the Advisory Board of the School. The work of gathering and tabulating the facts and presenting them for publication was undertaken in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Journalism by M r . C. W . Steffler, of Pittsburgh, Pa., a graduate of the School of Journalism with the degree of Bachelor of Literature in 1925. Under the direction of the Faculty, M r . Steffler sent questionnaires to all the living graduates of the school, numbering 434, and received replies from 291. Thus the con10

FOREWORD

elusions drawn from the answers sum up the situation with respect to 67 per cent, of the School's graduates, and such knowledge as is possessed of those who have failed to reply and who consequently are not included in these tabulations, warrants the belief that they fairly represent the employment and earning of the whole body. Mr. Steffler's figures show clearly that the graduates of the School enter into journalism or allied lines of work for which their professional training has prepared them, in as large a proportion as may be expected of the recipients of any professional education. Evidently the demand exists for them, and they are able to meet the demand. More than 52 per cent, of the graduates are engaged in the editorial or news side of periodical publication, while 2.06 per cent, are full-time teachers of journalism, and nearly 19 per cent, are in callings, such as advertising, publicity, printing and publishing, to which newspaper experience is a natural introduction. Altogether, a little over 73 li

FOREWORD

per cent, have followed more or less closely along the lines toward which their training was directed. F o r the rest 6.8 per cent, are women who, on account of marriage, have retired from outside professional occupation ; 4.4 per cent, are students carrying on advanced work; 13 per cent, are in nonjournalistic occupations, while only about 2.4 per cent, are reported as unemployed. The record shows that the graduates of the School are earning somewhat more than the average salaries of journalists of their years, as estimated in the report of a committee of the American Association of Teachers of Journalism, and distinctly more in their earlier professional years than graduates in engineering and law. Newspaper earnings, however, do not tend to increase proportionally in later years, and that fact is significant in view of the obvious drift of graduates after a period of successful newspaper work, into more profitable semi-journalistic and non-journalistic fields. While their ability to seize such outside opportunities offers gratifying testimony to the general adaptability 12

FOREWORD

of their training, the conditions that produce this drift are regrettable, and offer a distinct challenge to the newspapers of the country. If the American press is to maintain an intellectual and moral leadership it must make journalism a profession of continuing attraction to able men and women, by giving the workers in the editoral rooms rewards more nearly equal to those of the advertising man and the peddler of publicity. ROSCOE C . E . B R O W N . COLUMBIA

UNIVEHSITY

New York June 1926

13

INTRODUCTORY THE survey was undertaken at the request of the Advisory Board of the School in order to determine the performance of the graduates, the service rendered by the School to the profession of journalism, and the financial return obtained by those engaged in it. D a t a upon which the following report and summaries are based were obtained by means of questionnaires sent to graduates with the degree of Bachelor of Literature and to holders of the Certificate of Proficiency in Journalism. During the thirteen years that have elapsed since the School's inception, 437 have been graduated with the bachelor's degree and 5 have received the certificate. Of this total, 283 were men and 159 women. Since graduation, 7 men and 1 woman have died. The questionnaire was sent to the remaining 276 men and 158 women. Replies were received from 187 men and 15

INTRODUCTORY

104 women. This represents a total return of 67 per cent.; or 67.75 per cent, in the case of the men, and 65.8 per cent, in the case of women graduates. A t least a 50 per cent, return was received from each of the 13 classes, and in all but two instances, a considerably larger proportion replied. Judging from knowledge of the activities of those who failed to return the questionnaire, the replies, it is believed, represent a fair cross-section of the whole. The information requested in the questionnaire was concerning the nature of employment; particulars of non-journalistic work not otherwise returned, and whether or not the graduate found his or her journalistic training of service in it ; the amount of earnings each year since graduation in the specific employment for that year; the list of newspapers and magazines on which the graduate has been regularly employed since leaving the School ; present position and office address; and, in the case of women graduates, whether married and if so, whether or not professional work has been done since marriage. 16

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM GRADUATES OCCUPATION OF GRADUATES TABLES 1, 2 and 3 show the occupational distribution of graduates, based on the returns received. Tables 2 and 3 show the nature of employment of men and of women respectively, while Table 1 is a composite compilation of both. According to Table 1, 152, or 52.23 per cent., of the graduates who replied are engaged in straight news occupations. These are divided as follows: 48, or 16.49 per cent., editorial (newspaper); 5, or 1.64 per cent., editorial (syndicate); 34, or 11.68 per cent., editorial (magazine); and 65, or 22.34 per cent., reportorial. There are also 6, or 2.06 per cent., of the whole, who are full-time teachers of journalism, who might have been included in the above classification. Five others devote part time to teaching journalism, and one to 17

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM GRADUATES

teaching advertising, but they have been classified with the group in which the major occupation of each lies. (Teachers of English and other non-journalistic subjects have been listed with the non-journalistic group.) The classification, editorial (newspaper), when used in this report includes copy desk work and the various desk positions up to and including that of managing editor. Editorial (syndicate) includes desk work with newspaper syndicates. Editorial (magazine) refers to editorial work on periodicals and various types of class magazines. Reporting includes rewrite work, writing for departments such as financial, radio, real estate, society, et cetera, as well as correspondence (both domestic and foreign) for newspapers, magazines and press associations. This classification is that which is used by the New York World and other metropolitan newspapers. The second major grouping, as shown in Tables 1, 2 and 3, includes advertising and publicity — two closely allied and 18

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