Last week Pew released an in depth survey of national and local print and TV reporters, editors, and producers. Among the findings, Pew describes that journalists at national news organizations have become considerably more pessimistic about the state of their profession since 2004. By roughly two-to-one (62%-32%), more national journalists say that journalism is going in the wrong direction rather than the right direction.
In terms of what journalists, editors, and producers see as problems, there has been an increased focus on the financial pressures of doing business. As Pew describes, more than twice as many national and local journalists now cite a financial issue as the most important problem facing journalism than cite any other concern. The problems that were mentioned frequently in 1999 and 2004 -- particularly concerns over the quality of coverage and the loss of credibility with the public -- are cited far less frequently today.
Not surprisingly, as Pew finds, the financial pressures manifest themselves in a perceived value gap between top management and journalists. According to Pew, most executives and senior editors at national news organizations (55%) believe that the reporters at their outlets share "a great deal" of their professional values. By contrast, just 30% of reporters and less-senior editors say that owners and top editors at their organizations share a great deal of their professional values.
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There is no question that financial pressures have affected the kind of journalism being practiced today. More often than not that also means the quality takes a hit. Before moving over to the dark side of Public Relations I spent many years with the Canadian Broadcasting Coporation in various capacities. I left behind a newsroom where travel was limited so stories were done from a desk. The number of reporters available was down so you had fewer beats and the science beat was one of the first to go. Then when you fill the room with journalists fresh from J-School (therefore cheaper to hire), the inexperience starts to show. A perfect storm.
But it isn't just about the money. For the most part, the listeners, viewers, and readers seem to accept the shift in quality and priorities. And while I think the web is a vital tool for sharing information and even for uncovering stories, it doesn't help that we proudly proclaim everyone is now a 'journalist'.
Why bother to watch, hire, or read the work of an experienced journalist when we seem to think a camera phone and a blog means we're all journalists.
Mike
"Financial pressures" is a smoke screen that the media circus employs to cover up for the fact that they are just too scared to pursue good stories, knowing as they do the level of commitment it will take to out Dick Cheney's lies and cover-ups, or to cultivate sources that can do so.
The puppy dog story,or the teen-aged criminal on the front page of local, is just too damn easy.
It isn't just that j-school students are 'fresh' or inexperienced, but they are horribly flawed perceptually, i.e., what they think is a story or a good question is drawn from an American experience that emphasizes sports reporting and infotainment over asking Watergate worthy questions, or taking FOIA activist positions that lead to good reporting.
In a phrase: they are 'pre-propagandized' to be stupid.