Before we begin this editorial, we should admit to our bias on this topic, even though it is obvious — as journalists, we believe that journalism matters.

It’s who watches out for corruption in politics.

It’s what historians look to when researching the past.

It’s when things are reported to the public about what’s happening locally, regionally and around the world.

It’s where people go to find out what’s happening so that they can make wise decisions.

It’s why the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment includes freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

It’s how the public receives a responsible, unbiased presentation of the facts.

That last part is key — in a world that’s increasingly packed with social media posts that are rarely accurate and often loaded with opinions, it’s becoming difficult for the public to understand what is, and what is not, real journalism.

Even many online and televised “news” sources are just exaggerated opinion sections.

This is why it is imperative colleges do not cut their journalism programs.

We understand that Northwest College is facing some very difficult financial decisions due to drops in revenue. But the journalism program shouldn’t have been eliminated.

Our local college is taking several difficult steps to cut its budget, a necessary task that nobody is happy to see happen. Journalism was not the only program on the proposed chopping block at Monday’s NWC Board of Trustees meeting, where the journalism, broadcast media for television and radio, and farrier programs were all approved for elimination. 

Another money-saver came from approving 17 early retirment applications and ultimately cutting college employee totals by 20 positions when attrition is factored in. 

It is a sad day when any educational opportunity is removed, but we believe the journalism and broadcasting programs should have been maintained. Both are valuable to the campus as well as the community.

NWC President Stefani Hicswa said the decision to eliminate programs was made strictly by an economic analysis that is detailed in a report for board members.

For programs, that analysis included cost vs. revenue, the number of majors in the program, job prospects for students and other funding sources (see Page 1 for details).

There are newspapers in every town, magazines of all varieties, and living in the information age, one would think training for a career in information would be prioritized.

Mark Kitchen, vice president for public relations at the college, told Inside Higher Ed in an email that “(Hicswa’s) intentions are to retain the student newspaper, The Northwest Trail, assuming students remain interested in doing so.”

In response to a follow-up question about who would oversee the student newspaper in the absence of a journalism program, Kitchen said, “At this early stage, no decisions have been made.”

A college newspaper without a journalism program is not a newspaper. Words printed on a page or published online are not journalism unless they adhere to the standards and journalistic integrity of presenting facts about pressing matters that are well researched, fairly balanced and without opinion.

“This is really a sad and disappointing thing for Northwest College,” said NWC journalism instructor Rob Breeding. “A free and independent student newspaper is a part of the lifeblood of higher learning. You cannot replace that with a club.”

We completely agree — the newspaper isn’t just a game, and it needs an experienced and qualified educator at the helm to guide the students in creating a newspaper that is informative, responsible and fair.

Unless those options are available to students, there will be no legitimate news sources in the future.

There is already too much regurgitated propaganda in circulation. Students, and the public, need to understand the difference.

Press releases play an important role in  news dissemination. When something big is happening with an organization of any kind, we receive those press releases. But then we weed out the fluff, ask questions and research the subject before presenting it to the readers. Knowing the difference and being able to transform an opinionated press release into a factual story that is concise and easy to understand requires rigorous academic preparation.

If we want to protect the First Amendment, we need to protect journalism programs that make it all possible. That starts in the classroom.