New research reveals how Australian journalists are faring four years after redundancy
As many as 3,000 journalism jobs are estimated to have been lost in Australia this decade, the vast majority of which have come from newspaper newsrooms. The consequences for the information needs of the public are profound. But what of the lives and careers of those who left what were typically very stable careers? The New Beats research team explains in this crossposting from The Conversation.
Over the past four years, our New Beats research team has conducted annual surveys of a cohort of more than 200 journalists who experienced redundancy. As we have previously reported, many found the redundancy process and its immediate aftermath traumatic. But findings from our newly released report, which focuses on the final survey in 2017, suggest that journalists have shown considerable resilience in rebuilding their careers and, in some cases, their lives.
That said, the most striking finding from our 2017 survey is how unstable employment patterns have been since leaving the newsroom. Prior to redundancy, our 2014 cohort of 225 participants came mostly from newspapers. Just over 80% had worked at either Fairfax Media or News Limited (now News Corp Australia).
“Very few respondents told us they can’t find work at all…”
Could it be that some of these former journalists were unable to admit to being unemployed for research purposes? I’ve found ‘working from home’ is quite often a one-size-fits-all response. It might be interesting to see more details – on the ages of the interviewers, for example, and how that may have influenced some of the responses.
Absolutely. To my surprise, as a 50yo woman with 26 years in the business, I’ve found myself flourishing on the ‘outside’. No more management gaslighting, and some lovely relationships developing a year post ABC.
They could just learn to code?