Yesterday's story about the changes at the university student paper in Eugene is followed by this one, about what's going at Portland's high schools. Grant seems in good shape, at least for now, but the others sound as though they are suffering:

Benson, Jefferson and Roosevelt high schools have been without any student publication for years. Madison High School's paper may end next year because of the loss of a grant, says Gene Brunak, adviser for Madison's Constitution.

Lincoln High School was forced to meld its beginning and advanced journalism classes into a single period, resulting in "less instructor time and more difficult access to computers," says David Bailey, Cardinal Times adviser....

Brunak says his situation is a tragic one: "When a school can't afford to have a student voice, I believe it has entered the world of the 'have-nots.'"

Given the financial state of the media these days, journalism, which was never a high-paying field to begin with, isn't a great direct-hit career bet. But learning how to gather facts, write, organize, present information, and perform under time pressure is always a good thing. And as Portlanders know all too well, there are hundreds of p.r. flack jobs in government nowadays.