Not so grim
outlook among journalists
Reporters around the world are still deeply worried
By Diego Vasquez
Jul 27, 2010
It's been a rough few years for journalists, especially print ones, who have endured massive layoffs, a number of publication closures, and a growing unease about the future of journalism in the digital age. But they're not feeling quite as blue as they were in 2009, according to an annual study conducted by Oriella PR Network, a group of 15 agencies around the world that share information and ideas. While journalists clearly do not have a bright and cheery outlook about the next few years, it's no longer dour, either. This year 39 percent of the 770 journalists surveyed in 15 countries said they thought their publication would lose more than 10 percent this year in ad revenue; last year that number was above 50 percent. This year 44 percent predict that the number of printed media will drastically shrink, compared to 59 percent last year. Last year more than half said the quality of editorial would erode because of lack of resources. This year that was down to 43 percent. Shannon Latta, co-founder of Oriella PR Network and partner and executive vice president at communications agency Horn Group, talks to Media Life about what makes journalists optimistic, what makes them uneasy, and what we can all learn from Sweden.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned from this study?
Maybe not surprising, but certainly most interesting was the global adoption of online media and the industry’s response around the world with content for every medium. We saw this to varying degrees in regional pockets in previous years, but in 2010 every market seems to be approaching critical mass.
Also worth noting is the consideration being put toward putting paid content behind the firewall.
How have attitudes toward new and old media among journalists changed in the three years you've been doing this study?
In the first year of the study, the uncertainty about new media and the future of traditional journalism was palpable – lots of unknowns in 2008. Last year there was an obvious anxiety in response to the recession, with some indicators that new media was taking hold in Europe.
This year, and with the expansion of the study to 15 countries around the world, there’s a clear optimism about the way people consume reporting and information and its potential for new business models.
At a more tactical level, we were surprised to see the pattern in video content over the three years of the study so far. In 2008, video was reported as a popular media at 41 percent and then 50 percent in 2009. This year it went down to 39 percent.
This could be partly attributed to the broader base of the 2010 survey – 774 journalists compared to 361 the previous year – across a wider number of countries. Alternatively, cutbacks on video may have been made due to reduced budgets as a consequence of advertising cuts and sheer time pressures to produce news.
Why such a big jump in the percentage of journalists who see traditional media channels folding in favor of online? Does that reflect the greater pool of respondents this year, or was that universal across all regions you polled?
I think those findings are somewhat contextual and regional. Some countries were surprised by the predictions from their journalist contacts that traditional media channels will fold in markets where those channels are surviving. In other countries (with large appetites for mobile and online content) that’s what we expected.
What’s clear is that online media is exceeding traditional media in demand and potential – we think that’s what reporters are responding to.
Why are journalists feeling more optimistic generally about advertising? What has them encouraged?
Not unlike last year’s findings, the general mood about advertising figures is down. This year’s take on advertising brought mixed results – 39 percent of respondents expect a loss of more than 10 percent, but this is considerably lower than last year. And media giants like WPP have hiked their projections, which might add to the optimism.
Meanwhile, online advertising (globally) has still grown despite the recession. I’m not convinced reporters know too many details about ad revenue on a day-to-day basis and they might like to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Why have so many Swedish publications gone online only? Is this something that will be happening more in the rest of the world too, or are those circumstances unique to Sweden?
Most publishers in Sweden still have print publications, but it’s true that online content is expanding more than print content.
Out of its small population of 9 million people, over half a million have iPhones. Add the Android users to that number and you have an enormous appetite for mobile content. The mobile internet has been alive in Sweden for many years, and most publishers create content that’s adapted for smart phones. The survey showed us that we can expect to see those kinds of trends in the rest of the world moving forward.
Do they think that the improvement in offline advertising will result in fewer online-only transitions, or will it delay the inevitable at all?
Unfortunately, with a survey of this scale we didn’t have many live conversations to elaborate on the data. This would be a great topic for follow up discussion, particularly for your readers.
Our sense is that the regardless of the medium, publishers must strike a balance of good quality and high-volume content. That’s what reporters and marketers are both struggling with.
What are journalists' main concerns about the editorial budget restrictions? How do they think they are impacting newsrooms?
Clearly journalists are working harder, faster and longer to produce more content in an environment of hits and clicks. But more doesn’t always mean better.
Although the study revealed that almost half of the journalists who participated feel like the quality of their work has improved, in the field we hear that it’s tough to balance quality reporting with smaller budgets in the page-view economy.
Do journalists think the quality of journalism will erode with a move to more online publications? Why or why not?
Concerns like this declined in 2010 from 55 percent in 2009 to 43 percent today. That number certainly suggests there are still concerns about quality – we hear from journalists that the pressure to work harder, faster and longer to pump out content can cut into quality reporting.
But the concerns have declined noticeably over the three years of the survey in parallel with a clear upswing in job satisfaction. Thirty-five percent of the respondents enjoy their work more and almost half (46 percent) say that the quality of their work has gotten better or much better [with the proliferation of online media].
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