Journalism's future...

I met the future of journalism this weekend.
They are young, energetic...giggly, with a few jocks boasting their letter jackets sprinkled amongst the techies.
Kent State University hosted the Ohio Scholastic Media Assoc. state convention, where hundreds of high school journalism students attended dozens of workshops, and participated in shooting and writing contests. 
The students are being groomed to keep our profession alive, so it was wonderful to witness their enthusiasm in the workshops, taught by a mix of seasoned working media and college educators. I taught the photo ethics session, where I introduced them to the NPPA Code of Ethics and warned them of the dangers of Photoshop.
In Jon Wile's It's a Multimedia World session, he asked the students how they got their news. Very few read a newspaper. Most rely on Facebook and blogs to get their news. 
So, like it or not, the web is their future; they are the ones who will control what that future will be like in 10 years. These kids will be challenged with continuing changes in the multimedia world, like we were challenged with the beginning of it. At least they have the advantage of learning about multimedia in school. Remember when you were handed that first digital/video camera and told to go out and do your job?
Ah, the good old days... Okay, back to the future. 
The OSMA convention was a good training time had by all - the high school students, and their advisors and teachers, who also attended. High school media educators should not be overlooked because they are the ones tasked with the responsibility of preparing these budding journalists for college and beyond.