Teachers and Students

Today, I attended a memorial service in Stanford's Memorial Church for my former colleague and friend, Bill Woo, a journalist and professor, who died last month at the age of 69. Among the eulogies were eloquent testimonies from several students. In the audience were a number of other students, including some I taught as well, during our three overlapping years on The Farm.

Not all that many people probably equate Stanford with journalism. After all, an elite private university does not really match up all that well with the messy world of the journalist. It is remarkable, actually, that a truly great journalist like Bill got the opportunity to teach there at all.

The future of that particular program is at risk. Beyond that, the future of journalism education generally is very much in question. What gives those of us hope who care about these things is that the next generation of young reporters and writers, now in their 20's and early 30's, appear to know what is at stake.

Thanks to great teachers like Bill Woo, there is reason to think that the battle to challenge the status quo through journalism has not yet been lost. That is one of his greatest legacies.