“As journalism grows, I’ve grown with it.” York College Mass Communication Major Gets Statewide Attention in Discussion About the Future of News
York College senior Kate Barrelle is getting statewide attention for a discussion she participated in about the state of journalism and where it’s headed.
The Mass Communication major represented York College in a three-student panel discussion with Asia Tabb, host and producer of WITF’s The Spark on Tuesday.
Barrelle is the music director of WVYC-FM, York College’s student-run radio station. She was program director of the radio station last year. She is also an aspiring journalist.
The conversation on The Spark focused on student journalists, what they’ve seen in the field and what they hope for the future as they begin to navigate a quickly evolving profession.
“To have these conversations now means that we’re getting insight into journalism present and future. I also just love hearing what others have to say about certain topics in the field,” Barrelle said.
Barrelle quickly jumped in the conversation, touting what YCP has to offer in its Mass Communication major. In addition to top-grade classes and hands-on experience, the professors go the extra mile to give real-world examples of life in news post-graduation.
“They talk about life after graduation and what it’s like if you get into the journalism field. They get very real about it,” Barrelle said. “They are like, ‘We’re not going to sugarcoat anything.’ They are very real about it. It can get pretty raw.”
York College of Pennsylvania is ranked number 7 among Top Winning Audio Programs by the Broadcast Education Association.
Barrelle told WITF’s Asia Tabb she hopes to work in the news industry after she graduates in spring 2025. Tabb asked the panel about how they prepare to enter a world where misinformation is prevalent and how they hope to combat it.
“Whenever you talk about journalism, you have to talk about misinformation as well,” Barrelle said. “Because it’s plaguing journalism and it dissolves this bond that journalists have with the public.”
Barrelle went on to talk about how York College Mass Communication faculty make it a part of everyday classroom discussions.
“In our studies, we focus on, not only how we get the information to the public but also how do we rebuild this bond with people?” she said.
She admits some family members were skeptical about her career choice, but she had an answer for them.
“People need those in communications,” she said. “I’m glad York has a program where you do multiple things because then when you get out into the field, you’re ready for whatever.”
