I agree that journalism students should work for the Wildcat at some point during their academic career and the questionable and apparent childish behavior from some staff members shouldn’t deter them. Working or interning in the field is invaluable for students of any discipline but what is learned in class shouldn’t be discredited. Although some of the best experiences I’ve had in journalism so far came from internships, and yes the Wildcat some years back, I feel I have received a great education from the UA School of Journalism. However journalism students getting hands-on experience, from the Wildcat or elsewhere should be practicing the concepts that they’ve learned in the classroom. There needs to be a balance between the two. Without theory, practice is just going blindly through the motions. The faculty at UA provides a foundation for that practice, and in my experiences, they do a quality job because most of them teach from a wealth of experience and possess solid credentials. Colleagues of mine at the J School, who seem to be the most successful in their college careers, put an effort into both their academic study and their internships. Unfortunately, Wildcatters, especially those running the show, are often too busy trying to pump out a daily paper to commit to both the school and the paper and maybe students have lost sight of ethics and responsible practice taught in the classroom. Still, the Wildcat is meant to be a learning experience, it is a student-run paper after all, and I think the staff members in question, if nothing else, certainly gained an education on responsible workplace behavior through their trials and tribulations this semester.
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