Jobs lost in journalism are on the rise in the US, but enrollment in journalism schools are soaring according to Angelia Herrin, professor of journalism at Harvard. Many question this phenomenon, with readership down in print journalism and massive lay-offs in the newsroom; classrooms are still full of optimistic students ready to learn on their first day.
One of those students would be Maria Karpenko, 22, from Waterloo Canada. Karpenko isn’t discouraged when she hears that journalism is in bad shape. “My viewpoint is that journalism is at a standstill”, she said. “There is a new wave of journalism evolving from a new type of stories.”
Karpenko would like to have a master’s degree in journalism to complement her recently completed bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Waterloo. “I want to bridge the gap of the sciences to the general public,” she said. “I want to stay connected with science, but don’t want to spend six years on a PhD.” Karpenko would like to become a health or medical journalist.
Karpenko is no stranger to the world of journalism. She spent much of her teenage years
helping out in her family’s own art publication called Lace Express magazine. “I worked as a secretary,” she said.
Karpenko was born in Moscow and lived there for six years then moved to Niedersachsen, Germany for eight years and then to Canada where she spent most of her life. She speaks three languages and hopes that will help with her career in journalism.
“I like the idea that at this program, I can start working on my degree right away,” she said. “I don’t have to wait to apply by December and start in a year’s time.”
Interested in new technology and social media, Karpenko believes that blogging, Twitter, and Facebook are important ways for her to keep track of all the different changes in journalism in the social networking world.
Karpenko would like to have her own online magazine one day. “I recently got my own blog, but haven’t written anything on it yet.” she smirks and continues, “I am starting small.”
TMZ posted that Michael Jackson was dead six minutes before the coroner declared his death. I don't know how they did it (wire tapping at UCLA medical or maybe an office psychic). Who knew entertainment websites would be the place to turn for breaking news. I am assured that my guilty pleasure of reading tabloids will be very important to my career, life and future happiness. 
