Journalism and Mass Communications: The Lee Memorial Journalism Foundation was established at Washington and Lee in 1925 honoring its namesake because of his interest in promoting college-level instruction in journalism through an endowment inaugurated by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. Its successor, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Under the direction of journalism faculty members, students operate Comcast Cable Channel 18, a fully equipped television studio and control room, as a laboratory for television news and production courses. News and public affairs programming are presented to the community through the local cable access system. The Rockbridge Report, rockbridgereport.wlu.edu, is a multimedia website for local news produced by several journalism classes.
Journalism and business journalism are appropriate for students who plan a career in news. Students considering one of these options and planning a study abroad term are strongly urged to consult a department faculty member during the first year.
No more than six credits toward the degree, regardless of course designation or major sequence, may be earned through internships or other experiential courses. A student may not complete more than one of the curriculum options (major or minor) in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Honors: An Honors Program in journalism is offered for qualified students; see the catalog statement under Major requirements in Requirements for the Degree, the Journalism Department website, journalism.wlu.edu, and the department head for details.
