With the explosion of generative artificial intelligence in 2022, corporate media consolidation across the U.S. and a shrinking job market, professors and prospective journalists at Drake University are being forced to accommodate an industry where change is the only form of stability.

“The journalism business has really changed and evolved in radical ways since my first jobs,” said Kathie Obradovich, the editor-in-chief of Iowa Capital Dispatch. “We’re concerned about the future of journalism and the ability of young people to be interested in doing this work.”

In 2023, The Associated Press released a public initiative focused on “leveraging AI to advance the power of facts.” This program relies primarily on generative and aggregate AI software to analyze video content, create short lists, provide actionable news tips and produce automated translations and transcriptions of video content. 

Other major news publishers, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, have invested in similar AI initiatives.

In following suit with industry leaders, Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication aims to reflect these trends to help students build productive relationships with AI software. This is primarily done through flexible delegation from professors on how AI can be used in classes. 

“We realize that AI is not the bogeyman,” said Kelly Bruhn, the associate dean of the SJMC. “We want to make sure that students are prepared to be successful in their careers, [which] means that they have to work with the tool, understand the tool and ask tough questions about the tool.” 

SJMC faculty meet once a month to ensure constant conversation regarding industry standards. Over the past few months, these discussions have largely centered around AI.

“I understand having morality and ethical issues with AI, [but] to have an anti-AI stance [in journalism], I think it’s detrimental to your long-term success right now,” said Jeff Inman, associate professor and co-chair of the Board of Student Communications. 

The SJMC’s current guidelines apply a tiered impact list to AI use and ask students to declare what it was used for in their work. This allows students to engage with the software while still learning fundamental skills. 

As the demand for AI use continues to grow within the professional industry, journalists face other impacts. 

The Washington Post announced on Feb. 4 its decision to cut roughly 30% of its workforce, largely affecting its local, international and sports coverage. 

As reported by The New York Times, these cuts were a reflection of owner Jeff Bezos’ inability to “maintain a profitable publication on the internet.” Bezos bought out the newspaper in 2013 for $250 million through his personal investment firm. 

The publication saw a rapid expansion during the first eight years of Bezos’ ownership, but has recently slowed. 

“There used to be much more of a separation between the investor and the news side,” said Catherine Staub, current dean of the SJMC. “In so many instances, [that is] becoming blurred.” 

Staub said this is largely due to the rise of “infotainment” — the combination of news and entertainment content. Although this combination provides some benefits for both readers and writers, Staub fears publications are focusing more on capturing the audience’s attention than on the spread of accurate information.

“Continuing the path of corporate mergers that we are currently on is and will be detrimental to the kind of coverage Americans will receive,” Inman said. “When you start consolidating coverage, you lose a lot on the local level.” 

A 2025 study by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications found that communities that have faced a loss of newspaper coverage, without a digital replacement, now equate to 213 counties without local coverage. Simultaneously, digital-only local news sources are growing rapidly, but fail to replace the number of jobs being lost.

 The country has lost more than one-fourth of its newspapers from those established in 2005. That percentage is expected to continue to increase.

An analysis of employment trends by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Mooney revealed that jobs in the newspaper industry have dropped more than 80% from 1990 to 2026. For students, this means a greater challenge in the hiring process. 

Amanda Favazza, an SJMC senior and editor-in-chief of Drake Magazine, said that the erosion of news staff and the instability of the job market make modern journalism inaccessible to young reporters trying to pursue a professional career. 

“If there’s a position open, they wanted someone to fill it yesterday,” said Favazza.

Favazza landed a job as an editorial apprentice for Southern Living magazine and two post-grad opportunities with the parent company, People Inc. However, she stated these opportunities were only presented through her own dedication and networking within her hometown. 

“There [were] more publications hiring than I [thought], but then you have to consider that [a] large amount [of applicants are] most likely coming from other higher publications,” said Favazza. “They got cut, and they’re trying to find their way back in.”

To best prepare students for a professional career within the industry, the SJMC uses the classroom as both a learning and networking opportunity.  

“We work really hard to make sure we are not only keeping up with the industry, but also we help in many cases, educate the industry,” Staub said. 

The SJMC program is recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, an honor fewer than 30% of journalism programs achieve, for the experiential learning opportunities provided in classes. As described by Staub, professionals active in the field give feedback to students on projects, conduct mock interviews and review student portfolios. In more advanced classes, students work with nonprofits and other organizations in Des Moines as professional clients. 

“It is a really complementary relationship in terms of making sure that we’re hearing from [the industry], what they’re looking for in terms of hiring, but also then them turning to us for what we are teaching our students so that they can also learn,” Staub said.