The Most Dangerous Professions

    I was recently talking to a friend who is debating between majoring in teaching or communications. Naturally, I had an opinion on the subject, and we had a good-natured discussion. After she left, I sat down to read the paper, and I was struck by the current problems that teachers seem to be encountering. This is one example. Shaking my head, I wondered that she was considering such a profession. Shortly thereafter, though, my slightly self-righteous thoughts were interrupted by the State of Media report for 2011. I was quickly forced to wonder why anyone would consider either course of study. My efforts, in short, to create a "true" or "false" answer to a multiple-choice problem left me feeling foolish. I was drawn, though, to a quote by W. G. Crane, "There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job."
     This encounter reminded me of our "spectrum survey" in class, which was designed to show us that real people resist labels with startling skill. Most people do not fit nicely in one camp or another. Many of our current political issues come from the fact that the words "pro" and "anti" have made enemies from adversaries. The textbook reminded us that, as journalists, our job is to help democracy function. Part of this is accomplished by providing a public forum where solutions and comprises can be discussed, as opposed to insults traded.