Larry Atkins
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania 
I am a journalist, a lawyer, and a university professor. I have written over 300 articles, Op-Eds, and essays for many publications, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Baltimore Sun, B’nai B’rith International Jewish Monthly, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Counterpunch.org, Dallas Morning News, Detroit News, Harrisburg Patriot-News, Hartford Courant, Indianapolis Star, Jewish Exponent, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Daily News, Metro Newspapers (Boston, New York and Philadelphia), NCAA News, National Public Radio (commentaries for Morning Edition and Only a Game), Newark Star-Ledger, Newsday, Orange County Register, OpEdNews.com, Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine, Quill Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Times-Chronicle, Writer Magazine, and Z Magazine. I am a frequent contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Commentary Page, as I have written 70 Op-Eds since 1993. I am a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the publicity director of the Philadelphia Writers Conference. I am the author of "Larry the Liberal Lawyer Lashes Out".
I am an Adjunct Professor at Temple University (I have taught Basic News Writing, Editorial Writing, Public Affairs Journalism), Arcadia University (Journalism I and II, Newspaper Practicum, and Writing for Law), and La Salle University (Basic News Writing).
Contact:
These articles are the work of their author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of nor an assignment by OJR.
July 23, 2009
Editor's note: Larry's thoughts on Walter Cronkite provide us an opportunity to talk about what journalism is, and might be, in the Internet era. I'll follow Larry's piece with a comment of my own, and I invite you to do the same. As a journalism professor, the death of Walter Cronkite is a reminder of what journalism was and may never be again.
When my college students ask me who I think the best journalists in the business were, my first answer would always be Walter Cronkite. Like most young people, most of my students tend to get their news from local television, the Internet, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Most of them do not read newspapers. Very few of them were familiar with Cronkite.
"Walter Cronkite was and always will be the gold standard," ABC News anchor Charles Gibson told the Associated Press. "His objectivity, his evenhandedness, his news judgment are all great examples."
Walter Cronkite was everything a journalist was supposed to be. He was truly fair and balanced; not in the Fox News sense. He was thorough and prepared and he asked the tough questions that needed to be asked of politicians and government officials, whether they were liberal, conservative, Democrat or Republican.
Back in 1972, Cronkite was voted as the most trusted person in America. Since then, the public's trust of journalists has eroded over the years due to various scandals and controversies involving plagiarism and fabrication. More...
2 Comments | 
Archive Link
July 9, 2009
Larry Atkins teaches Journalism at Temple University and Arcadia University.In light of the decline of newspapers, you would think that college students would be staying away from the field of journalism in droves. Thus far, that's not the case. But will university journalism schools change their approach in the way they teach future journalists?
According to Inside Higher Ed, applications to Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism have gone up around 40 percent higher than last year. Applications to Temple University's Department of Journalism have remained steady over the last few years. In March, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported that due to student interest and potential demand, the University of Pennsylvania is working to propose a journalism minor.
But how are the Journalism schools and departments accommodating this interest to the changing realities of the journalism profession?
According to Dr. Andrew Mendelson, Chair of Temple University's Journalism Department, "In some ways, we anticipated the new reality. Six years ago, we changed the curriculum to add more multimedia exposure. We require students to do reporting in all types of areas—print, Web, audio and video. In addition to this cross-platform format, students specialize in newspapers, magazines or photojournalism."
"In addition, we recently added an elective in Entrepreneurial Journalism, started by Professor George Miller, in which we teach students how to become their own business model by freelancing or starting their own websites."
"We're also doing more career workshops. Some are with the Career Center and deal with networking and preparing resumes. We also have business practices workshops, which deal with legal issues, contracts, and how to market yourself."
A recent trend of journalism programs is getting students out of the classroom to cover events and issues in the community. More...
No comments | Archive Link
October 1, 2008
Sure, algebra, chemistry and English composition are important. But the most important basic skill and task that should be a prerequisite to graduating college is that students should create their own professional websites.
In today's changing high-tech job market, students should be developing their own professional websites and blogs while they are in college and even high school. In addition to theoretical and analytical courses, colleges should teach real-world practical skills such as constructing a website. Schools should teach students that the Internet is more than a social networking tool or a way to research papers and projects.
I teach Journalism at Temple University and Arcadia University. At the beginning of each semester, I'm surprised at the small number of students who have developed their own professional-style websites. Everyone is on Facebook or MySpace, but only five or so of the approximately 400 students that I've taught over the last five years had their own website, which featured their writing samples, articles, or other work. I now emphasize to all my students that developing their own professional website while in college can be an effective marketing tool and a great way to get internships, part-time jobs, full-time jobs, exposure, and extra cash.
More...
3 Comments | Archive Link
RSS Feed
