Summary of findings from a survey among agricultural communicators on professional work, interests, educational background, training needs and qualifications for training others.
Report based on a nationwide survey to learn about sources of photographs,uses of photographs, who takes photographs, usefulness of photo training for extension agents and specialists, staffing, filing systems. "As nearly as could be determined, four states (Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado) employ what might be termed staff photographers in the sense that they seemed to be at the command of the editor, and not just college or university photographers working occasionally for the editor."
Raises eight questions for ACE members: " 1) Are we glorified clerks or are we scientists? 2) What are desirable forms of publication and information materials? Scientists are demanding longer bulletins. The public is calling for shorter. 3) What should be the professional training of men and women to become agricultural and home editors? One school suggests that all that is needed in our fields is a certain facility -- we are engaged in a science -- home scientists measure success by acceptance in AP and UP. 4) Is there opportunity for research in the field of farm and home editing? 5) What is to be the future of agriculture and what leadership will the college of agriculture, the experiment stations, and the USDA be called upon to give? Together with our institutions, we must begin long-time planning. 6) What place has and will the radio have in carrying to the people the results of research? 7) How shall we measure results in our field? 8) What are we going to do about it?"
Author reports that Kansas State has offered a news writing course for agricultural students for more than a decade, and with good results.. Believes a course in news writing should not be a universal requirement in the agricultural college curriculum, but emphasizes skills in English.
Supports training of agriculture students in news-writing, and argues that they also should be trained in public speaking. Also: "it would seem that agricultural students should by all means know or learn how to make a living with their hands on land before they take up news-writing and public speaking. Our national literacy of the head is far greater than our literacy of the human hand. We cannot take much of a hand in nation-building from the ground up unless we have trained hands, even in this machine age."
Recommendations from the Professional Development Committee of AAACE. They include sabbatical leaves, exchange appointments, short-term media experience (unpaid leave from college position). "Members of the association were emphatic in their statement that editors should be given the same privileges of sabbatical leave as other college workers and that they should develop their jobs and positions so that they would have a rank equivalent to that of any professorship on the campus."
Survey report at annual AAACE meeting. "About 40 per cent of the county extension agents now furnish extension information to their local newspapers regularly, only a very few altogether neglecting to do so, but there is a distinct need for editorial training for agents." Among the training means proposed: journalism courses for prospective agents while in college, state news-writing training meetings held by the college editor for county agents, correspondence courses in news writing, and bulletins on news writing. American Association of Agricultural College Editors.
Author emphasizes intellectual curiosity as a striking characteristic of the effective agricultural college editor. Among other cited credentials: agricultural college education, newspaper training and practical farm experience.
Arkansas newspaper cooperates with the University of Arkansas to hold a half-day School for Rural Correspondents, followed by a lunch at which the correspondents were guests of the newspaper. Cash prizes offered for the best rural correspondent's work in the next six months.
