How American Journalists View The State Of The News Industry Is Actually Pretty Eye-Opening
It is no secret that Americans’ trust in the media has been declining for decades. Some people have sworn off consuming the news altogether, while others choose to solely read news produced by outlets that align with their beliefs.
Thousands of American journalists have been left stuck in the middle– either earning a bad rap as the bearers of bad news or carrying the weight of an unearned reputation due to a few bad apples.
And while they are the purveyors of our news, we rarely hear journalists’ outright opinions on the state of our first amendment rights or publicized criticisms of the news industry.
This past month, though, the Pew Research Center conducted two paramount surveys of journalists that give newsreaders an inside perspective.
The first, entitled “Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry Amid Continued Passion for Their Work,” revealed that seventy-seven percent of journalists would “choose their career all over again” despite the often ridiculed perception of journalists.
Additionally, seventy-five percent of American journalists feel either “very” or “extremely proud” of their work. But, their passion for a free press does not elude their sense of insecurity in the industry.
About fifty-seven percent of respondents admitted to feeling either extremely or very concerned about possible future restrictions on press freedoms.
Moreover, in the wake of dying local newsrooms and a shortage of resources, seventy-two percent of journalists used negative words such as “struggling” and “chaos” to describe the current state of the news industry.
Furthermore, about seventy-one percent of respondents believe that made-up news and misinformation is an enormous problem in America.
undrey – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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And perhaps similarly, journalists are very worried about “like-minded people clustering around the same news outlets.”
This can drastically limit exposure to and consequent understanding of other perspectives– only increasing our country’s divide.
The second Pew Research Center Study, entitled “What do journalists think the news industry does best and worst?” forced nearly twelve thousand reporters to reflect inward on their own work sector.
Unsurprisingly, most journalists believe that the industry is best at “getting the news out” as quickly as possible. This response was followed by the ability to adapt to industry change.
But, perhaps shockingly, journalists believe their industry does the worst job at getting the story right. This was followed by remaining unbiased and issues in the workplace.
Interestingly, the study also included anonymous quotes shared by everyone from rookies to veteran journalists in the industry.
A woman journalist, who has been working in the news industry for over twenty years, believes there is “too much editorializing and not enough straight reporting.”
Two other journalists, one man and one woman, also similarly believe that remaining “completely unbiased” is not always correct.
“I wish it [the news industry] would stop giving equal time and space to points of view that are clearly inaccurate in an attempt to be ‘fair,'” the woman said.
“Providing comprehensive, unbiased coverage of sensitive…issues,” the man said in response to what the industry does worst.
Still, many journalists believe that the news industry has made significant gains– including the diversification of newsrooms, the publication of various perspectives, and generally making do with the sometimes limited resources journalists are given.
“[The industry is] trying to diversify newsrooms and points of view. I can see conglomerates and individual people/operations really trying there, and I think it’s important,” one woman with between eleven and twenty years of industry experience said.
“Despite financial and funding difficulties, at the top of newspapers and news organizations, excellent investigative reporting is still happening and making a difference,” one man with more than twenty years in the news industry said.
And numerous journalists are proud of the industry’s relentless coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped inform countless crucial decisions nationwide.
Nonetheless, with so many journalists worried about possible press restrictions being imposed in the United States, Americans should be concerned.
Like any industry, news media is not perfect. But, it is the backbone of our democracy and strives to ensure that Americans are never left uninformed.
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