Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies
  4. Volume 13, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 13, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2001-0818
  • E-ISSN:

Abstract

In a time of enormous change in the Australian news media industry – with outlet closures, redesign of company business models, rationalization of staff and shifts in medium uptake – this article explores journalists’ exposure to and perceptions of work pressures in their jobs. It explores the relationship of these experiences with the journalists’ job satisfaction. The study reports that journalists find the industry difficult and demanding, with time pressures, ethical compromise and overwork being their main concerns. However, the study also found that journalists still derive satisfaction from a profession they perceive as meaningful through informing their communities about matters that affect their decision making and how they live. This passion for community service alongside the notion of holding authority to account result in a sense of overarching job satisfaction. This article presents part of a study that investigated the experience of journalists in remote and regional media organizations in Queensland and New South Wales through survey and interviews.

© 2024 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00076_1
2022-01-13
2024-09-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Albrecht, S. L. (2015), ‘Meaningful work: Some key questions for research and practice’, in R. J. Burke, K. M. Page and C. L. Cooper (eds), Flourishing in Life, Work, and Careers: Individual Wellbeing and Career Experiences, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 210–34.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Alessandri, G., Borgogni, L., Schaufeli, W. B., Caprara, G. V. and Consiglio, C. (2015), ‘From positive orientation to job performance: The role of work engagement and self-efficacy beliefs’, Journal of Happiness Studies, 16:3, pp. 767–88.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Atkinson, P. and Silverman, D. (1997), ‘Kundera’s Immortality: The interview society and the invention of the self’, Qualitative Inquiry, 3:3, pp. 304–25.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bowd, K. (2017), ‘Keeping it local: News themes on regional newspaper front pages’, Australian Journalism Review, 39:1, pp. 63–76.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bramlett-Solomon, S. (1992), ‘Predictors of job satisfaction among black journalists’, Journalism Quarterly, 69:3, pp. 703–12.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Brey, J. (2018), ‘As newsrooms do more with less, can reporters keep up?’, Columbia Journalism Review, 12 September, https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/productivity-stories-news.php. Accessed 31 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Campbell, C., Smith, E. and Siesmaa, E. (2011), ‘The educative role of a regional newspaper: Learning to be drier’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 51:2, pp. 269–301.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Chang, L. J. A. and Massey, B. L. (2010), ‘Work motivation and journalists in Taiwan and the US: An integration of theory and culture’, Asian Journal of Communication, 20:1, pp. 51–68.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Cohen, N. S. (2019), ‘At work in the digital newsroom’, Digital Journalism, 7:5, pp. 571–91, https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1419821. Accessed 31 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. and Gevers, J. (2015), ‘Job crafting and extra-role behavior: The role of work engagement and flourishing’, Journal Vocational Behavior, 91, pp. 87–96.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (eds) (2005), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Deuze, M. (2005), ‘What is journalism? Professional identity and ideology of journalists reconsidered’, Journalism, 6:4, pp. 442–64.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Downman, S. and Murray, R. (2018), Hyperlocal Journalism and Digital Disruptions: The Journalism Change Agents in Australia and New Zealand, Abingdon: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Downman, S. and Murray, R. (2020), ‘The hyperlocal “Renaissance” in Australia and New Zealand’, in A. Gulyas and D. Baines (eds), The Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism, London: Routledge, pp. 255–64.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Fisher, C., Park, S., Howden, S., Lee, J. Y. and McGuinness, K., (2020), Australian Regional Journalists: What They Need and How They See the Future, Canberra: News & Media Research Centre, http://doi.org/10.25916/5ef96413ef837. Accessed 25 February 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Fowler, F. J. (2014), Survey Research Methods, London: Sage Publications Ltd.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Friend, C. and Singer, J. (2015), Online Journalism Ethics: Traditions and Transitions, London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Geldenhuys, M., Łaba, K. and Venter, C. (2014), ‘Meaningful work, work engagement and organisational commitment’, South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 40:1, https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1098. Accessed 25 February 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Hanitzsch, T. (2011), ‘Populist disseminators, detached watchdogs, critical change agents and opportunist facilitators: Professional milieus, the journalistic field and autonomy in 18 countries’, International Communication Gazette, 73:6, https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048511412279. Accessed 10 January 2022.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Hanitzsch, T., Hanusch, F., Ramaprasad, J. and de Beer, A. S. (2019), Worlds of Journalism: Journalistic Cultures Around the Globe, New York: Columbia University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Hanusch, F. (2015), ‘Transformative times: Australian journalists’ perceptions of changes’, Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy, 155:1, pp. 38–53.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Hanusch, F. and Vos, T. (2020), ‘Charting development of a field: a systematic review of comparative studies of journalism’, The International Communication Gazette, 82:4, pp. 319–41, http://doi.org/10.1177/1748048518822606. Accessed 25 February 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Hay, I. (2005), Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography, South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Hess, K. (2014), ‘Mediated social capital and the small-town press’, Journalism Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2014.922293. Accessed 3 November 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Hess, K. and Waller, L. (2012), ‘The Snowtown we know and love: Small newspapers and heinous crimes’, Rural Society Journal, 2:12, pp.116–25.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Hess, K and Waller, L. (2014), ‘Geo-social journalism: Reorienting the study of small commercial newspapers in a digital environment’, Journalism Practice, 8:2, pp. 121–36.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Hess, K. and Waller, L. (2016), ‘Hip to be hyper’, Digital Journalism, 4:2, pp. 193–210, https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.1002859. Accessed 3 November 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Hess, K. and Waller, L. (2017), Local Journalism in a Digital World, London: Palgrave Macmillan.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Jensen, K. (2012), ‘The qualitative research process’, in K. Jensen (ed.), A Handbook of Media and Communication Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies, 2nd ed., Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 235–53.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Kahn, W. A. (1990), ‘Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work’, Academy of Management Journal, 33:4, pp. 692–724.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Kilpatrick, S., Falk, I. and Harrison, L. (1998), ‘Learning in rural communities: A response to rapid economic change’, CRLRA Discussion Paper Series, Paper D13/1998, Launceston: Centre for Research and Learning in Rural Australia, University of Tasmania.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Kovach, B. and Rosenstiel, T. (2001), The Elements of Journalism, New York: Crown Publishers.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Landells, E. M. and Albrecht, S. L. (2019), ‘Perceived organizational politics, engagement, and stress: The mediating influence of meaningful work’, Frontiers in Psychology, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01612. Accessed 25 February 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Lim, J. (2013), ‘The relationships of online journalists’ emotional responses to competitors with job satisfaction, workload, and perception of the quality of the news website’, Asian Journal of Communication, 23:2, pp. 209–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Monteiro, S., Marques Pinto, A. and Roberto, M. S. (2016), ‘Job demands, coping, and impacts of occupational stress among journalists: A systematic review’, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25:5, pp. 751–72, https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2015.1114470. Accessed 2 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Nolan, H. (2014), ‘Working at Vice Media is not as cool as it seems’, Gawker, 30 May, http://gawker.com/working-at-vice-media-is-not-as-cool-as-it-seems-1579711577. Accessed 31 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Noy, C. (2008), ‘Sampling knowledge: The hermeneutics of snowball sampling in qualitative research’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11:4, pp. 327–44.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Park, S., Fisher, C. and Lee, J. Y. (2021), ‘Regional news audiences’ value perception of local news’, Journalism, https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884921992998. Accessed 2 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Shade, C. (2017), ‘Content creators of the world, unite!’, Pacific Standard, 14 June, https://psmag.com/social-justice/is-it-times-for-journalists-to-unionize. Accessed 31 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Stephens, J., Natoli, R. and Gilchrist, M. (2020), ‘Too close for comfort: Journalists’ ethical challenges in regional Australia’, Media International Australia, 181:1, pp. 72–86.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Ternes, B., Peterlin, L. J. and Reinardy, S. (2018), ‘Newsroom workers’ job satisfaction contingent on position and adaptation to digital disruption’, Journalism Practice, 12:4, pp. 497–508.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Tims, M., Bakker, A. B. and Derks, D. (2014), ‘Daily job crafting and the self-efficacy–performance relationship’, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29:5, pp. 490–507, https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-05-2012-0148. Accessed 30 March 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Van der Haak, B., Parks, M. and Castells, M. (2012), ‘The future of journalism: Networked journalism’, International Journal of Communication, 6, pp. 2923–38.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Vroom, V. H. (1964), Work and Motivation, New York: John Wiley & Sons.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Weerakkody, N. (2009), Research Methods for Media and Communication, Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Zahler, A. (2007), ‘One-third of copy editors dissatisfied with their jobs’, Newspaper Research Journal, 28:3, pp. 20–36.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Zelizer, B. (2015), ‘Terms of choice: Uncertainty, journalism, and crisis’, Journal of Communication, 65:5, pp. 888–908.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Zion, L. and Craig, D. (eds) (2014), Ethics for Digital Journalists: Emerging Best Practices, London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ajms_00076_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): job satisfaction; journalism; journalism ethics; news media; regional news; work pressure

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error