| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 新聞研究所 === 96 === In the Taiwanese newspaper industry, major newspaper companies, including the China Times, United Daily News Group, and Liberty Times, all offer "Campus Reporter" programs to develop younger readership, expand reporting range, and train future professionals. This in-depth report intends to profile those programs in a time when Taiwan newspapers find declined readership and a gradual increase of readers` age.
United Daily News Group has offered "U-seed" program for 7 years, and Liberty Times has offered "Liberty Star" program for 4 years. China Times had undertaken many campus programs, but so far, only a few campus reporters and an "Experimental Media Plan C" program persist. After in depth interviews with more than 60 former or current campus reporters, newspaper editors, and executives, I found that while the "U seed" program has an advantage of providing guidance by senior reporters, it lacks sufficient training and screening measures, and its dispatch process may be too rigid. "Liberty Star" program has a mentor system led by trainees from previous sessions. This allows easy communication between trainers and young campus reporters, but it has also raised concern of lacking professional instruction. The campus reporter programs of China Times are usually short and inconsistent, making young campus reporters feel like “guerilla” reporters.
It is difficult to judge whether "campus reporter" programs could help newspapers reach young readers. The total cost of training campus reporters a month is the equivalent of the monthly salary of 1 to 2 staff reporters. However, the quantity sum of stories published by all campus reporters in a month is much less than the output of a single staff reporter. As a metaphor, campus reporters are reserved forces in a factory, but hardly the real battle power. In addition, the lack of professional instruction does not prevent campus reporters from violating news ethics, and vague evaluation system further hampers any means to eliminate poor performance. As a result, the chances of finding a job in newspapers for campus reporters are not greater than journalism or communication major graduates who did not go through campus reporter programs. Instead, with whole-hearted hopes that the newspaper training may grant them a smooth career path, when jobs are not guaranteed, the somewhat unsuccessful campus reporting experience has only damaged the trust relationship between the campus reporter and the newspaper company, and this may even hurt the self-confidence of young trainees.
This study suggests that newspapers should rethink the objectives of "campus reporter" programs and reduce the number of campus reporters in order to maintain news quality. Those programs are best lead by senior editors and former fellow campus reporters while giving participants opportunities to involve in actual news operation. The programs also should establish fast, flexible dispatch system and teach young campus reporters about professional skills and ethics. Higher pay, and a valid, transparent evaluation system would also improve training quality. Upon graduation, campus reporters should be given opportunities to join staff force according to their performance and the need of the newspapers, so that a genuine "factory of human resource" can be established.
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