For those of us on staff who are responsible for producing this magazine every two weeks, our annual journalism edition is one of our
favorites, because, well, we’re all journalists, and it’s an opportunity for us to take a look at what’s going on in the academic community to train and educate journalists .

In Black Issues In Higher Education, we often write about the challenges academia faces in not only the recruitment but, more importantly, the retention of minority students, faculty and staff on college campuses and universities across the country.

The journalism industry faces a similar challenge, because just as quickly as new minority journalists are hired, almost as many leave their respective media organizations. I imagine their reasons for leaving the industry are varied. Some may be disenchanted with the types of stories they’re assigned to cover or that seem to be of priority to their employer. Others may feel like their voices and perspectives are not valued in the newsroom. Regardless of the reason, the retention of Black and minority journalists is essential. Notes Adam Clayton Powell III, the author of our “Last Word,” “The demographic gap between overwhelmingly White newsrooms and a rapidly diversifying America is growing.”

The package of stories in this edition well represents the steps academia is taking to train minority journalists. From the profile on Black College Wire, which gives journalism students on HBCU campuses the opportunity to perfect their craft — to the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies housed at North Carolina A&T State University, which seeks to nurture Black mid-career journalists — journalism professionals and scholars are taking a proactive role to ensure that students get the best training possible, all resulting in what they hope will make for a smooth transition into the journalism profession.