Jenna, MA '06 Athens, GA

Katrina, BA '08 West Chester= , PA

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My philosophy degree h= as been invaluable in learning to be a reporter. I am better able to prioritize story ideas, ask the right questions to get an accurate and complete story, organize the information I obtain, be aware of bias in my subjects, my research, and myself, and consider the ethical impact of the information I handle.

All of these skills are vital especially to reporters, but also in any profession which deals with gathering and disseminating communicated material (so, pretty much all of them), as well as for citizens as policy makers (voters) and consumers (although honestly consumers make policy as much as and sometimes more than voters). Philosophy sometimes suffers from the perception that it is too abstract and irrelevant. Encouraging philosophy majors to think about = the practical applications of the skills they gain strengthens their profession= al options and, in my view, might bring more of those skills into the business= world - where they are so obviously so desperately needed. Journalistic training would benefit philosophy majors, and philosophy majors would benefit journa= lism.

Journalism as an indus= try is changing if not collapsing (Exhibit A: the Tribune company filing for bankruptcy [last year]. Exhibit B: The New York Times, informing the public about the mortgage crisis, borrowed against its share in the building where its offices are housed). A free and responsible press has always been vitally important to democracy, and even more so in our Information Age, wh= en the problem is not the absence of information but being inundated with it. = We need to know that the information we base decisions on is reliable, which m= eans that individually, we need the ability to assess credibility, and as a soci= ety, we need ethical, careful reporters.