Why bother?

A question I have sometimes asked myself is, Why teach journalism if newspapers are dying? Hey, wait--someone else has asked this question too? (see link below) In fact, nearly everyone who teaches journalism has formed some version of this question. And the answer? Oh, there are many. Mine: Because I'm paid to do it (cynical response) and because the world needs and wants journalism--it just doesn't fully appreciate that fact just yet (optimistic response). Also, newspapers are only a small part of the equation, and an increasingly small one at that. The many responses to this short article are worth wading through.