Advice for the class of ‘07

Posted on January 4, 2008 by Melissa Worden

Members of the first graduating class of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism received their diplomas December 18. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times Assistant Managing Editor Dean Baquet received an honorary doctorate from the school and gave the commencement speech. In it, he said:

What do you say to a group of young men and women who have chosen to go into a profession that many people think will be obsolete in a generation or so?

The great secret that no one seems to be talking about right now as we all wring our hands about the uncertain future of our profession:

If you go into journalism, and you approach it with humanity and not as a crass careerist, you will have more fun, more pure joy than anyone graduating from any place this year.

You will wake up in the morning unsure of which new adventure awaits.

You will see places nobody in your generation will see — distant places, but also the darker corners of the places where you live.

You will meet great writers and thinkers.

You will confront morale dilemmas that will force you to grow.

You will make epic mistakes, I promise you. But things will move so fast that if you own up to them, you will have the chance to fix them.

In short, you will have an absolute blast.