A group of foundations that make grants to journalism education and innovation recently wrote an open letter asking journalism schools to blend more practice with scholarship. Having top professionals from the business in the schools is critical to training future journalists, the foundations said.

From the letter:

In this new digital age, we believe the "teaching hospital" model offers great potential. At its root, this model requires top professionals in residence at universities. It also focuses on applied research, as scholars help practitioners invent viable forms of digital news that communities need to function in a democratic frame.

We believe journalism and communications schools must be willing to recreate themselves if they are to succeed in playing their vital roles as news creators and innovators. Some leading schools are doing this but most are not. Deans cite regional accreditation bodies and university administration for putting up roadblocks to thwart these changes. However, we think the problem may be more systemic than that. We are calling on university presidents and provosts to join us in supporting the reform of journalism and mass communication education.

Eric Newton, a senior adviser at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, joins The Daily Circuit Wednesday to discuss how journalism schools can adapt to the changing media landscape. Emily Ramshaw, editor of the Texas Tribune, will also join the discussion.

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