Last Updated: May 26, 1999
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Newsrooms
In-house survey could reveal a great deal
ASNE study reveals a poor outlook by today’s journalists;
editors could learn about their newsroom’s attitudes by asking them
By Wallace Allen
The welter of positive statistics in the ASNE survey of journalists
may make editors smile, sit back and be complacent. All is well in newsrooms
— or is it?
Most journalists may be happy with their lot, but their views of their
newspapers and their jobs are anything but reassuring. Only 14 percent
rate their newspapers excellent, a drop from 34 percent who rated them
"very high" eight years ago.
Forty percent think their newspaper is improving, down from 54 percent
in 1988. Twenty-one percent said their newspapers are "getting worse,"
an increase from 13 percent eight years ago.
Looking at newspapers 10 years into the future, only 4 percent of journalists
think newspapers will be a more important part of American life, down from
12 percent.
These are bleak figures, if we believe that reporters, copy editors,
photographers, designers, illustrators and editorial writers — and not
editors — are those who in the long run determine the quality of their
newspapers.
Public dissatisfaction with the media — including newspapers — is a
fact of journalistic life. Growing professional dissatisfaction is something
else. At least something can be done about it.
I suggest editors seek answers to these questions:
To what extent do the findings of the survey apply to your staff? Ask
and you shall find out.
-
What are the specific sources of discontent, aside from normal and traditional
journalistic complaining?
-
What is the effect of technology? Does your staff think preoccupation with
it has led to disregard of the nature and goals of the printed newspaper?
-
If you have reconfigured your newsroom and restructured your staff, how
has this affected journalists? How do they feel about such changes?
-
Why do journalists who want very much to write feel they must leave journalism
in order to do that to their own satisfaction?
-
Does your newspaper win an "excellent" grade from the staff? If not, why
not?
-
How does your staff think your newspaper might have more public impact?
And the questions go on. Aside from obvious differences in opinion caused
by working hours, age, salary and internal politics, changing attitudes
of journalists indicate many more factors are at work — factors vital to
journalism.
The picture has been drawn on a national level. Next stop should be
on the local level, where questions may be asked, answers found and action
taken.
The ASNE survey indicates something of a crisis among journalists, who
will determine the fate of newspapers. The most potent question: Is the
magic lost?
Allen is a retired member of ASNE who lives in Minnesota. He was
formerly associate editor of the Minneapolis Tribune.
