There is no doubt the realm of journalism is in a state of evolution. What remains to be seen is how this evolution will affect the instruction of the craft. DeWayne Wickham, Director of the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina A&T, decided that he did not want to wait for change to take place; he wanted to lead it.

When he found out The Carnegie Corporation and the Knight Foundation had come together to redefine what it means to teach journalism, and were redesigning the curriculum of some of the “top” J-Schools in the nation, he became alarmed. The “News 21” initiative the foundation had started did not include any historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs).

“There are about 12 schools involved in this effort,” Wickham said. “Unfortunately there was not a single HBCU included in this effort. I see this as a really good opportunity for us to decide what we can do to change the curriculum of HBCUs as we begin to look down the road at the 21st century.”

HBCU’s, Wickham said, have a different set of problems when it comes to teaching journalism. Schools like the University of Maryland, or New York University, can’t relate to the same issues. So instead of trying to find a way to get black schools involved, Wickham formed his own initiative: the “Twenty-First Century News Bureau.”

The list of participants read like a “who’s who” in journalism and education: Keith Woods; Dean of Faculty at the Poynter Institute, Dr. Yvonne Welbon; Chair of Journalism and Media Studies at Bennett College, Dr. Valerie Denise White; Chair of the Black College Communication Association, Paula Madison; Executive Vice President for Diversity at NBC, Mitsy Wilson; Senior Vice President of the FOX Entertainment Group and many more.

Gathered together in the executive board room of the North Carolina A&T Alumni Foundation Event Center, the group brought forth new and exciting ideas and plans on how they can retool the minority institutions to not only keep up with the changes in the field, but to make the graduates of their respective programs leaders in the industry.

“Content is king,” Wickham said. “CNN is running its programs in repeat because they don’t have enough content. If we can get our students to produce real world content, they will be much more prepared.”

Williams joined the conversation in the conference by teleconference. Speaking on behalf of FOX, she said that the organization was committed to supporting this endeavor. And as the majority owner of National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and Myspace, among others, FOX has the resources behind its name to honor this commitment.

“We know the value of having and hiring diverse voices,” Williams said. “I’m a little saddened that we were not given the opportunity to participate in the 21st century journalism program, that would have given us funding for our students.”

The group expects to have some tangible plans set in place and ready for students to engage in by sometime late next year.  

• Dexter R. Mullins