TIMLENNOX.COM: MMMM # 528 --- Reporting suicides, degree value, and another "end of print" prediction.

Hey, that journalism, degree is worth something after all.

Yahoo Finance (really) reports a J-degree is #5 on the list of five unexpected degrees that should allow you to pay off your college loans.

No. 5—JOURNALISM

According to Payscale, graduates of journalism school have starting median salaries of $38,100 which jump to $67,700 by midcareer. Broadcast journalism graduates start out a little lower, but jump a little higher midcareer to $68,800 in "report"-able income (report, get it? Heh, heh). TheRichest.com points out that "those with a background in journalism also tend to be in high demand in lucrative areas such as marketing and communications." Bottom line: just because you study journalism doesn't mean you're going to make a living as a journalist.

Number one on the degree list? Philosophy. Really.

See the entire list HERE.

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    We heard the police code for a suicide one morning last week, and the usual reaction is to ignore it.
     But there are exceptions to the general media rule about not reporting suicides. If the victim is well known, if it happens in an especially public way, or it was prompted by another person through bullying or abuse.
   I also came across a list of precautions the media should take if they do report a suicide, and it included:

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is among the groups that offer guidance on how to report on suicide and suicide-related issues. It warns against sensational headlines, for example, and revealing information such as the location of a suicide and the method used in hopes of averting suicide contagion, or “copycat” suicides. The World Health Organization (WHO) has produced “Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals,” which offers best practices for covering what has become a serious and international public health problem. Meanwhile, the Poynter Institute offers journalists a free, self-directed course designed to help them better understand mental health conditions and report on suicide.

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Another huge newspaper is yelling "Stop The Presses"...The Independent will end print publishing next month.

In its prime 25 years ago, around 428,000 copies were being sold per day. Today that figures stands closer to 28,000 (The Morocco World News)

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AND: The Montgomery Advertiser, the largest daily print paper in Alabama by default, is increasing its subscription rates, but only four times a year. They say the extra dollar paid on each of those four months will pay for new special interest sections on unannounced topics. As far as I can tell, it is not an option for subscribers.