Paul Niwa is the Assistant Dean of the School of Communication at Emerson College. He has won national awards for his innovative teaching, research and professional work. He develops immersive websites and apps for iOS and Android. As a professional journalist, Niwa helped NBC launch two international television networks and six news programs, and he created one of the world’s first online newscasts. Niwa was posted in Hong Kong during its sovereignty handover. He led CNBC’s coverage of the Asian Financial Crisis and the introduction of the Euro currency. Niwa organized the US-Japan Journalism Postgraduate Fellowship and is a founding board member of the US-Japan Council. He travels to Asia frequently to meet with local and foreign journalists.

All communication fields are being disrupted by the digital distribution of information. But, journalists should not fear this change because their predecessors have successfully faced this evolution many times in the past. Journalism traces its roots to Thucydides, an Athenian general who wrote about current events without attributing activities to the supernatural. Journalists have provided information to citizens in the way they prefer for 2,400 years. Castle towns had troubadours. Town squares had town criers. And coffee houses had pamphleteers. Journalists have evolved over millennia as a catalyst for public conversation.

Journalism will survive with or without newsrooms because the information journalists provide is necessary for every self-governing society. Journalists are stewards of a public forum, informing the discussion, helping citizens reach wiser decisions, and maintaining the rules of conduct for a spirited debate.

The current disruption is mobile and this is wonderful for journalists because citizens now have 24/7 access to news for the first time. The journalists who have practiced at the cusp of each evolution have had the privilege of figuring out how to engage audiences in new ways and tell stories effectively and differently in the new medium and other existing media.

Journalism is civilization’s first communication profession and an original practice of the humanities and sciences. Journalism teaches resourceful gathering of information, decisive and thoughtful analysis, and the ability to tell stories that everyone can understand instantaneously.

Journalism teaches the value of public service. Journalism helps citizens make sense of their world and provides them information that assists them in making timely decisions. Journalistic stories give individuals the confidence to participate in a civic forum which is the foundation of a legitimate, governable free-thinking society.

A journalism education teaches citizenship and analytical skills in a project-based, experiential method.

Good leadership is the art of convincing others to care about the common good. Leaders don’t need titles, strong charisma or force of will. They need a mindset of service toward others, personal integrity and the desire to help others succeed. Everyone can be a good leader, if they choose to put the interests of others ahead of their own.

Strategic leadership is thoughtful and deliberate. Strategic leaders consider all options by consulting others and weighing different perspectives. One option that is frequently overlooked is the choice to wait and not take immediate action. To be able to uncover important viewpoints and receive honest advice, leaders need to create a safe environment for discussion and allow individuals to criticize freely. Leaders need to create a culture that prevents others from intimidating or dominating other members of the group.

Even though leaders consider different perspectives, they need to ultimately think independently and objectively. Courageous leaders are willing to sacrifice personal popularity for the long-term benefit of the group.

Decisions need to be accompanied by direct, specific and focussed communication. Leaders can explain why a path is being taken in a succinct manner. Leaders deliver difficult news promptly and unambiguously. Honest communication is compassionate and respectful.

Networked leadership rallies others to work toward a common cause. These types of leaders listen to others, remix ideas and convince collaborators by showing how working together advances everyone's interests. Even small progress is meaningful, because it builds trust, which helps to advance future activities.