Why do people invest in expensive degrees to pursue “journalism”?
There is a mismatch between the costs of entry into journalism today, versus the likely return on investment.
To get a decent job requires at least a 4-year degree, typically from a private prestige university, and then an MA in journalism from a name school.
At private universities, the unsubsidized costs of attendance can run $300,000 to $500,000 through the Masters degree – for a job that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says has an average pay of about $52,000 per year – in a field that has seen a decline in demand. Think of all the newspapers that have shrunk their workforces are gone out of business.
So who goes into journalism? A lot of rich kids, apparently. And why? Because it is still viewed as a “prestige” job, even if the pay is bad. And for many, their wealth background lets them pursue this as a career.
This leads to a mismatch between values of reporters and their audience.
A related problem for journalism is that outside of business and meteorology, most reporters have no formal training in the subjects they are reporting on. Think of “Senior Climate Reporters” or “Senior Health Reporters” who have degrees in English Literature, don’t understand the math or statistics, and have no knowledge of say, biochemistry.
This post written with AI-search assistance.
🎓 Why Students Pursue Expensive Journalism Degrees
- Credentialing & Gatekeeping
Journalism has shifted from a working-class trade to a prestige-driven profession. Elite universities and master’s programs act as gatekeepers, signaling cultural capital and opening doors to internships, fellowships, and networks that are otherwise inaccessible. - Network Effects
Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, and similar programs are pipelines into major media outlets. The tuition isn’t just for classes—it’s for access to alumni networks, internships in New York or D.C., and proximity to influential editors. - Passion Career Dynamics
Journalism is often treated as a “calling” rather than a financial investment. Students accept debt or family subsidy because they value identity, mission, and social impact over salary. This is similar to clergy, academia, or the arts.
💰 How It Makes Sense Economically (for Some)
- Family Wealth & Subsidy
Many students come from affluent backgrounds where parents can absorb tuition costs. For them, journalism is not about maximizing income but about cultural positioning and influence. - Scholarships & Grants
While sticker prices are high, elite schools often discount heavily for top candidates. The published tuition may not reflect actual costs for many students. - Career Diversification
Journalism degrees are often used as springboards into higher-paying adjacent fields: corporate communications, PR, tech content strategy, think tanks, academia, or nonprofit advocacy. The “low-paid journalist” is sometimes just the first rung.
🌍 Symbolic & Cultural Logic
- Prestige as Cultural Asset
A Columbia J-School degree is a symbolic credential, much like a law degree from Yale. Even if the direct financial return is low, the prestige carries weight in cultural and professional circles. - Study Abroad & Elite Experiences
These programs reinforce class stratification. They aren’t just about education—they’re about signaling cosmopolitanism, cultural fluency, and elite belonging.
📉 The Structural Paradox
- Oversupply of Talent
Journalism schools produce more graduates than there are stable jobs. This keeps wages low and forces many into freelance or precarious work.
- Institutional Incentives
Universities benefit from high tuition, and media outlets benefit from a steady stream of credentialed, ambitious young workers willing to accept low pay for prestige.
🏛️ Class Disconnect
- Socioeconomic background of journalists
Many reporters come from affluent families, elite universities, and cosmopolitan experiences (study abroad, unpaid internships). This places them in a different social class than the average reader or the communities they cover. - Implications
Coverage may reflect elite cultural assumptions rather than lived realities of working‑class or rural populations. - Journalists may unconsciously frame stories through the lens of their own networks and experiences.
- Trust in media erodes when audiences feel “talked down to” or misrepresented.
This is part of why surveys show declining public trust in mainstream media: readers sense the gap between their own lives and the worldview of those producing the news.
Other Beats (Health, Climate, Science, Law, etc.)
Many journalists assigned to specialized areas have degrees in English, history, or general journalism. They may be skilled writers but lack formal training in the technical subject matter.
- Consequences
- Risk of oversimplification or misinterpretation of complex scientific, medical, or policy issues.
- Reliance on press releases or expert quotes without deep ability to interrogate data.
- Vulnerability to bias, spin, or errors when covering technical debates.
This is especially problematic in areas like climate science or public health, where precision matters and misinformation can have real consequences.
🧩 Synthesis
So, how does it make sense?
It makes sense culturally and institutionally, but not economically. For wealthy families, the cost is an investment in cultural capital and influence.
For idealistic students, it’s a passion-driven gamble.
For universities and media companies, it’s a system that sustains prestige while externalizing financial risk onto individuals
The Class Disconnect
- Class disconnect — journalists often come from backgrounds unlike their audiences.
- Expertise disconnect — journalists often lack formal training in the technical subjects they cover.
Together, these gaps contribute to mistrust, misrepresentation, and sometimes shallow coverage.
The paradox is that journalism prizes narrative skill over subject expertise, even in domains where expertise is critical.
More on this topic in the next post.