The use of professional internships has long been a defining feature of journalism and mass communication programs, but the practice is also increasingly controversial for the financial burdens it places on marginalized students. This study examined accreditation reports for 120 institutions to gain a better understanding of current practices.…

Broadcast journalism writing and reporting classes are designed to help students develop writing skills for multiple platforms, but many television news professionals think student writing and other necessary skills for the industry need improvement. Television news anchors, reporters, producers, and news directors who completed an online survey…

This study provides valuable data comprising analysis of existing practices in the sampled media departments of the leading private and public sector universities of Karachi in the context of Wheeler's conceptual model. The research looked into the aims and objectives, the curriculum, the faculty, and industry linkages of the media programs under…

Relates the author's experiences during a five-week faculty internship at the "Colorado Camera" university newspaper. Describes how the author had to refresh her skills and adapt to the technological advances that had been made during her years as a teacher. Concludes that the author enjoyed her return to reporting and considered it a…

Determines what interns do; whether intern tasks reflect training components; and how an internship experience compares with a classroom experience. Surveys student interns. Finds three patterns emerging: students refer to "self development"; training is seen in specific acts (press releases, newsletters); and students in public relations programs…

Describes how the author, a broadcasting educator, worked as a summer intern at a professional TV station in order to keep his instruction current, and to keep up on the latest stylistic and technological changes in the business. Discusses the benefits of doing so, and notes some useful information learned. (SR)

Finds that a majority of advertising and public-relations interns found their internships successful. Indicates that successful internships depend on predictors given the least attention by school programs: quality of supervision was the most important single predictor variable, followed in importance by organizational practices/policies, positive…

Compares views of newsroom hiring variables and career preparation considerations from students completing a required internship with responses from broadcast general managers and news directors. Notes that every intern responded that colleges should require internships. Indicates that neither broadcast managers nor interns placed as much…

Examines two topics related to the mass media internship experience: realities and strategies related to internship coordination in the rural, isolated university setting; and the value and potential on broadcasting and mass communication curricula for the "externship" (a one-day activity in which a student "shadows" a media professional for a…

Compares broadcasting curricula of two-year and four-year colleges. Finds that most broadcast programs implement a blend of practical and theoretical courses, and that students at two-year and four-year schools are subjected to comparable course work and internship/practicum experience. Suggests that many students are not receiving enough…