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#63 – Tina Dupuy, nationally syndicated columnist

By pwenzel

Few people go into journalism with the expectation they’re going to be rich and famous.
Some do achieve that, but most are satisfied with doing interesting work that has meaning.
But paying journalists enough to sustain them is important, not just for journalists but for society as a whole.
That’s the thesis of a recent column by nationally syndicated columnist Tina Dupuy.
“I really didn’t mean for it to be so novel,” Dupuy told It’s All Journalism.
Back in 2009, the media industry was hemorrhaging newspaper jobs — something like 40,000 over three years or approximately 1,000 a month.
What those unemployed journalists encountered was a new media reality in which it was easy to find a byline but not so easy to find a paycheck.
“Just by the virtue of writing and being published was your payment,” Dupuy said. “If you get to use a byline of a publication, that suddenly was enough for you to make a living. So, there was this proverbial carrot dangling in front of you that if you just get enough readers, become famous enough and somebody’s going to pay you to write, you’re going to get the book deal or whatever. It’s this new model that is just not sustainable.”
Many unemployed journalists were having a hard time finding jobs that actually paid enough to sustain them. They either did journalism as a part-time “hobby” or left the field all together. Only those who could afford to do journalism for free were doing journalism.
“Only the well-off are able to work for free, strangely enough,” Dupuy said. “It has effectively boiled off the economic diversity of the newsroom. So, the only people who are journalists become people who are — for lack of a better phrase — elite. They’re concerned with other people who are well-off.”
This lack of economic diversity isn’t just bad for journalists, it’s bad for society by creating newsrooms that fail to empathize with those in the lower economic strata.
“We have 46 million impoverished Americans and we treat them like some kind of novelty or some kind of rare occurance when that’s really a big swath of the American experience,” Dupuy said.
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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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