The Future of News Media

FOR SEVERAL DECADES. WAYNE DAWKINS HAS HELPED SHAPE JOURNALISM AFTER SPENDING 24 YEARS AS A JOURNALIST AND EDITOR, HE TRANSITIONED TO A TEACHER AND A PROFESSOR AT HAMPTON UNIVERSITY AND MORGAN STATE. HE HAS ALSO WRITTEN 6 BOOKS INCLUDING SOME WITH THE FOCUS ON THE STRUGGLES OF BLACK JOURNALISTS IN AMERICA. WGCUS BRYANT MONTEIL SAT DOWN WITH DAWKINS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS CAREER AND HOW HE GOT HIS START IN JOURNALISM. >> GOES BACK 2. >> CHILDHOOD MY PARENTS. >> RACES, READERS. WE HAD A AS A CHILD. I REMEMBER WE HAD BUT I ACCESS TO FULL SET. ENCYCLOPEDIA IS. BOOKS GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES AND THE OTHER CLASSIC FAIRYTALES BOOKSHELF. I LEARN. THE LATER THAT ONE OF MY UNCLES WAS A JOURNALIST FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PAPER IN PANAMA CITY. SO I HAD ALL THESE INFLUENCES. SO BY THE TIME. MIDWAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, I COMMITTED AND SAID. I WANT TO BE A JOURNALIST. THE ALL THE MENTOR THEY'D LIKE TO CALL MENTOR WAS SOMEONE THE WAY IN THERE. JOHN TORBETT COLUMBIA WAS A COLOMBIAN ALONG THE EDGE ON TOUGH TALK THERE. HE STRONG ARMY IN 2. APPLYING TO COLOMBIA GRADUATE SCHOOL GIRLS. I SAID, WELL, I HAVE MY DEGREE IN JOURNALISM AND I HAVE BEEN APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOLS WITH SOMETHING ELSE. THAT'S IT. WATCH THAT 2 DEGREES. AND HE SAID. SOMEDAY AFTER THE PRACTICE IT. THEY WANT TO TEACH. HERE I AM. I MADE A CAREER SWITCH TO ACADEMIA FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. THIS DECISION I EVER MADE. >> YOU SEE HOW THE INDUSTRY IS CHANGING. SO WORKED. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOU TEACH THEM WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PROCESS? YOU NOW AND HOW IS INVOLVED OR HOW IT SHIFTED. AND HOW DO WE KEEP THAT RESILIENCE? HOW DO WE KEEP THAT INTEGRITY? HOW DO WE KEEP IT? WHAT IT SHOULD BE? >> I GO INTO AT MENTOR THAT WRITING STILL. AT THE CENTER. WHAT WE DO. WHETHER YOU WERE FOR PRINT MEDIA, WHETHER YOU WORK. IN TELEVISION OR RADIO SO THIS IS GREAT TO HAVE THE VIDEO, BUT WE STILL NEED SOME WORDS TO TELL THE STORIES. ARE YOU CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORDS EVEN IF YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS TO WORK WITH. SO THAT'S AS I OFTEN HAVE TO DISABUSE PEOPLE. THE NOTION I CAN DO THIS BY DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT. >> AND THE MAIN MESSAGE YOU WANT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR TO COME AWAY WITH. YOU'RE AMAZING. WRITING. AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT THEM TO COME AWAY WITH SAYING, YES, I WONDERED. MOVE FORWARD WITH HIS FIGHT FOR WHEN YOU LOOK BACK HISTORICALLY. >> OR WORSE THAN US AND THEY PERSEVERED. >> THEY PERSEVERED AND THEY WERE DOING FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AND THE CHILDREN AFTER THEM. I KNOW SOMETIMES IT CAN TO SEEM LIKE WE'RE JUST LECTURERS. WE'RE JUST PEOPLE WHO SCOLD AND TO LOSE SAID. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU FIND OUT SOMETHING THAT'S ON JUST WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER DO BETTER. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO LEARN. WE'RE STILL LEARNING THINGS SOMETIMES IT ISN'T PRETTY WHO SAID. DEMOCRACY WAS PRETTY. YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY. I LOVE THE A AND BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL FIND. YOU'LL HAVE A. THESE ARE THE REMAINING MOMENTS. JUST LIKE SOMEONE LIKE I HAD MY DAVID MCCALLUM, THE BIOGRAPHER. YOU KNOW, EVEN AS AND HE WOULD JUST JUST HAVE THIS LIKE CHILD-LIKE WONDER ABOUT, WOW, LOOK AT. LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND. SO I JUST WANT TO CONTINUE THAT EVEN AS ABOUT TO RETIRE. FOR REAL. BUT YOU NEVER BE RETIRED BECAUSE I ALWAYS BE INTERESTED AND DOING THINGS THAT FROM SOME UNIVERSITY STILL WANT ME TO POP IN. GIVE A TALK OR OR OR TEACH A CLASS. ALL PROBABLY WANT TO DO THAT. I'LL JUST TRY TO KEEP MY WIFE THAT BE.