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Journalism students told they must buy Macs


In news that will surely make the folks at Apple very happy the University of Miami’s journalism department, and possibly the public relations department, has told students that they are going to have to switch to Macs whether they like it or not.

As well they are being told that they will have to cough up the money to also pick up a few new software packages. Along with that they will need to purchase audio recorders and cameras that can shoot video.

Some students will also be required to buy a software package, audio recorders and cameras able to shoot video, David Carlson, director of the college’s Center for Media Innovation and Research, said at Tuesday’s town hall.

As reporters become more mobile and self-reliant, he said, such technology is increasingly needed for reporting.

“Journalists are going to need to bring the tools to the job rather than the jobs providing it for them,” he said.

Source: Gainesville Sun Online

According to the college dean, John Wright, the college is negotiating with Apple for discounts on software like Final Cut. The reason for all this being required is that this way the costs can be covered by student finacial aid.










Comments


2 Archived Responses to “ Journalism students told they must buy Macs ”

  1. lokenkristianna
    Jan 28, 2010

    This is mostly because they have strong convergence programs that require multi-media projects (photoshop, final cut, etc) and lets be honest there is no comparison between mac and pc on that one.Thanks.

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  2. James Johnson
    Jan 31, 2010

    Loken,

    I think it’s more than that, I’ve seen news rooms run on PC’s that do a great job. It is however much more streamlined to teach entire groups of students on one type of software/hardware platform, the school therefore doesn’t have to invest in two different platforms. This makes it easier to negotiate price cuts on software and hardware. It also allows teachers to focus on one type of platform for teaching purposes.