Annotated Bibliography: Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism Among University Students

Source / Bibliography (MLA format)	Rojano, Fj Paniagua, M. Gómez Aguilar, and Me González Cortés. "Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism among University Students." Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism among University Students (2014): 548-70. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.
Summary/Annotation	The researcher examined a Spanish, university-level journalism class and recorded the information regarding the students' opinions, concerns, and comments about entrepreneurial journalism, leading to a further examination of the results. This article constantly reflects the obstacles that many aspiring journalists face, delves deeper into the reasoning behind why the issues have occurred, and showcases the exact journalistic departments in which these challenges have  most commonly arisen throughout recent years. The purpose of the research depicted in the article is to establish the efficiency of the new implementations to the journalism programs, and to determine their worth. It constantly refers back to the students and their judgement, seeking their opinions regarding not only the challenges they fear to face in this career realm, but also how effective the course was in preparing them for these challenges. The article also highlights the possible benefits of becoming an employer, rather than an employee, through the eyes of the students and professors involved.
Potential Quotes	"[Farias] describes how in recent years journalism went from being a profession characterised by professional intrusion to a profession characterised by job insecurity, then by unemployment, and later by the current situation, in which job insecurity and independence issues are the major concerns of journalists. As a result, the credibility of the information and the professional activity of journalism have been deteriorated in the last five years." (page 549) "The important growth in journalism students can be explained, in part, by the seduction that this type of studies generates among young people." (page 552) "... the educational system must provide citizens with a number of basic skills… interpersonal, intercultural and social and civic competences, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship…” (page 553) "The economic crisis of the news companies makes it harder for recent journalism graduates to access decent jobs in the traditional media. Therefore, a professional employment alternative is self-employment." (page 554) “…several participants stated that after having completed this course they have considered the idea of creating their own journalistic enterprise, although some confessed that they had already thought about it before taking the course.” (page 557) “At the end of the course, most students recognised that it was helpful, to such an extent that, before taking the course only 39% had ever consider the possibility of launching a journalistic enterprise and the rest (61%) never thought about it; while now, after completing the course, 91% of them does consider this option as a career opportunity.” (page 559) “The previous information confirms the first two hypotheses of the study: that before taking the course journalism students did not consider self-employment as a career option, probably because they chose this degree influenced by the mythification of the journalistic profession; and that if students were encouraged during their studies, through a specific course focused on providing business and entrepreneurship-related content, many students could change their mind and consider starting a news media company as career option.” (page 561) “The sections of the project proposal that students found the most difficult to complete were the budgeting and viability plan as well as the analysis of the context and the competition. These findings confirm our third hypothesis: there is a need to improve the economy and business knowledge among journalism students…” (page 564) “This idea reinforces the second hypothesis of this research study: if students are encouraged with contents and courses that are related to the creation and management of news media companies and offer alternative career opportunities, it is likely that many of these students will consider the option of creating a journalistic enterprise.” (page 565) “This is recognized by 91% of the surveyed students, who admit that after completing the course they have considered starting their own journalistic enterprise. Before taking the course only 39% of the students had considered this career option.” (page 567)
Assessment	Because this article was a research document written by a professor and an associate professor of the School of Communication Sciences at the University of Málaga in Spain, it represents both a first-hand account of the ongoing interactions within the classes, as well as an accurate depiction of the world of journalism and its complications as told by those with the correct qualifications.
Reflection	While this article reflects the challenges and situations that many Spanish students fear, it represents a true depiction of the effects journalism and its challenges have worldwide (as is evident by the reference to the economic crisis that occurred in 2008). It also parallels much of what the article, "Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work", highlights. Both articles establish the limitations and challenges that aspiring journalists continue to face, and provide reasons as to why this may be. "Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism among University Students", however, includes a more optimistic mindset regarding the entrepreneurial approach to journalism. This coincides more with my new essential question, "What realistically profound challenges could I possibly face in the future through entrepreneurial journalism, and in what ways am I able to better prepare myself for a successful journalistic career in this job climate?". This article will allow me to further my knowledge of entrepreneurial journalism, and expand my understanding of its realistic mechanics; all while seeing another side to the same story.