Mizzou's J-School

Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, the world’s first journalism school.

I am a 2003 Mizzou grad, but I did not attend the J-School (as anyone who has read any of my blog could easily gather). However, I am proud of the School of Journalism’s storied history and even more thankful for the countless afternoons of amusement it provided during my years in Columbia.

With its emphasis on hands-on experience, the Missouri School of Journalism allows students to learn by providing content to different media outlets, including the NBC affiliate TV station KOMU, the only commercial station owned by a major university in the United States. While the station has its own permanent and professional anchors, Mizzou students do a lot of the reporting and on-air pieces. And this is why watching the five and six o’clock news in Columbia is so entertaining.

I, by no means, want to belittle the broadcasting J-School students—some of them, including my friend Maral, did an excellent job on camera—but at times the KOMU nightly news is like watching a train wreck. My college roommates and I would often watch the news together just to see what was going to happen—which unfortunate newbie would freeze like a deer in headlights, whose voice would crack, who would completely botch a report, and how the anchors would step in to keep the broadcast moving along. And while I couldn’t help but laugh most of the time, I did feel sorry for the poor students who had difficulties on-air. Hands-on experience definitely has its advantages, but I am sure the J-School students wouldn’t count having their blunders broadcast throughout Mid-Missouri as one of them.

But, then again, what would we have done for entertainment between the hours of 5:00 and 6:30 in Columbia, Missouri were it not for these aspiring anchors?