Chair's Welcome

January 2024

Thank you for your interest in Western’s MMJC program. As Acting Chair of the program for 2023-24, I’d like to welcome you to our website and invite you to look at what we have to offer. Here’s why I personally think the program is particularly worthwhile.

You can get more than just a job. Our students find our program rewarding and enjoyable, and have an excellent track record finding jobs after they graduate. But it’s also the case that the need for effectively communicated truthful information is particularly acute today. We’ve all seen how crucial communication of scientific health knowledge was during the pandemic; effective communication is sometimes a matter of life and death. the demand for reliable factual information is stronger than ever. People want the truth. They want good journalism and good professional communication. Now more than ever, the world is aware of how badly we need effectively communicated truthful information, and how challenging that can be in a world of information overload, disinformation, and filter bubbles. Our faculty and our curriculum are centered on the essential roles of effective journalism and communications in democracy and healthy societies. Situated in Western’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies, MMJC provides a stimulating environment of public discussion and inquiry into the media issues of the day. Communicating the truth is more essential than ever. It's not easy. We can teach you how.

You can find your own path. Uniquely, the program approaches journalism and professional communications as integrated: to read a news release critically like a journalist it helps to know how to write one like a communications professional, and vice versa. The program has been and will continue to be forward thinking and adaptive: as new genres like podcasts, new technologies like AI, and new career paths like multi-platform freelancing appear and grow, we prepare you for such changes and the challenges they bring.

Headshot of Tom Streeter A degree from MMJC prepares you to adopt to change. We do not simply teach you to follow in well worn career tracks, we teach you to explore and think critically about the existing media universe, so that you can find your own creative path in a shifting world. The integrated teaching of journalism and communication prepares you for a wide range of possible positions. We have a required course, business essentials, in which you will learn the fundamentals of freelancing, contracts, and other skills that can be particularly helpful for those who seek to engage in critical and creative work. If you want to pursue a satisfying career that allows you to express yourself and serve the public good, we can get you started.

Please feel free to get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Prof. Tom Streeter, Chair, MMJC
tstreet2@uwo.ca

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