¶ … Journalism? James W. Carey has written a thought-provoking essay on what journalism has in, has become, and might be. His central thoughts involve journalism's roles within the university and within our larger democratic society. He focuses on what he calls the "three axioms" of journalism (as summarized by Wartella), " that journalism is a practice distinguished by its form; second, that as a social practice, journalism reporting and writing should not be confused with technologies of communication (e.g. broadcast, print) or the institutions in which such a practice occurs (e.g. newspapers, television stations); and third, that journalistic practice is an important institution for the maintenance of democracy."

The difficulty is that none of those axioms allow journalism to fit in neatly either in university life or in real life. In university life, journalism is the orphaned child of the English department, which he suggests happened at least partly...

All the writers, including Cary and the three commentators, recognize that the setting within which journalism is placed makes a difference. Carey prefers a more science orientation, with journalism connected to a view of sociology that emphasizes the influence of place. The sociologists argue that studying people while ignoring where they live is intrinsically distorting. The other approach, aligning journalism with "communications," is something all writers are uncomfortable with.
Perhaps journalists should be uncomfortable with aligning themselves too closely with the larger discipline of Communications. They should be aware of their history. As the writers have pointed out, Pulitzer had a lot to do with the founding of the field, now viewed as a profession, and he did it out of competition with Hearst, not out of high flung academic ideals. This is not to say Pulitzer…