The next generation of journalism graduates is ready to fight

In a world of diminishing job prospects, AI, low pay and government hostility toward the press, is studying journalism worth it? Here’s what current journalism students think.

The outlook for aspiring journalists is increasingly uncertain.

Layoffs ripple through major U.S. newsrooms, local papers shutter at an alarming rate, politicians sharpen their attacks on the press and AI technology threatens to make journalists obsolete.

Yet, 10,073 students graduated with journalism degrees in the U.S. in 2025, according to a report by Data USA. What keeps these graduates motivated?

In this season of graduations, here’s what college journalists from around the country had to say about their career plans and their ideas about the future of the field.