By definition, Britannica describes journalism as “the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and related commentary and feature materials through such print and electronic media as
newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, webcasts, podcasts, social networking and social media
sites, and e-mail as well as through radio, motion pictures, and television.”

When I first started telling people that I was going to be a journalism major in college, a lot of
people were excited and happy to hear that I found a degree that would benefit me and
help me toward my future career. Of course, with a few positives, there were also a few
negatives. One comment I heard was, “Isn’t journalism dying?”

As a journalism major, I was offended. Journalism has never been dying, it has simply been changing with the times. There are different types and styles of journalism, and there are millions of different topics that journalists can cover. At The North Wind alone, our writers cover news, features, sports, opinion, multimedia and graphics.

As a sports reporter, I love watching games and reviewing recaps of the ones I missed
over the weekend. I enjoy listening to commentators break down statistics, and I dream of being one of them someday. I love doing my own research, looking at the analytics and figuring out which plays were happening at what time and why the coaches made certain lineup decisions.

Sports journalism is a field that changes every week because of every new game played, every goal kicked and every touchdown scored. This past NFL season, for example, the Detroit Lions were early favorites to win the Super Bowl, but now the Super Bowl is the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a fact that developed only recently.

Here is where different types of journalism enter the chat. My roommate and I are both journalism majors, and we both work for The North Wind. However, while I work in sports, she works in the news section.

My roommate is always attending different campus events, exploring different clubs and reporting on the hard-hitting news. The type of journalism she wants to pursue in her career includes the stories on the front page. Her work may come at a moment’s notice, while my stories may take an entire season to develop. Despite our differences, we have never underestimated one another. We recognize that we are experienced in our own fields, and that we can hold each other accountable for what we are producing.

So, whenever someone asks, “Isn’t Journalism dying?” remember that journalism isn’t disappearing—it’s adapting. And the different types of journalism are what make the field so diverse and dynamic.