Research project to examine impact of journalist redundancies
In the wake of the mass journalist redundancies of 2012, a group of academics has launched a research project to examine the impact of the jobs cuts on Australian journalism and related industries.
According to the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the union which represents journalists, 2012 saw the departure of 1000-1200 from the profession, while a further 200-300 have been made redundant so far this year.
Project leader Lawrie Zion said the study, called New Beats, will examine what impact the loss of more than 10 per cent of Australia’s journalists from mainstream media outlets will have over the long term.
“The project really comes from this question of what’s going to happen to all these journalists who became redundant,” said Zion, a journalism academic from La Trobe University in Melbourne.
I’m standing by for new worlds of reporting and storytelling- seeded by the reluctant liberation of so many smart, thoughtful and highly skilled people. I hope we look back in five or ten years and see trails of literate light.
Katie: and who will pay for the reporting and storytelling of these so many smart, thoughtful and highly skilled people, this being the kind of work that takes days to produce? Me, I’m standing by for a handful of blogs which will mostly peter out and die after a few months. Oh, and lots more ‘freelance travel journalists’ looking for a free poast-redundancy / retirement holiday.
A total waste of time and effort – a bunch of academics, mainly superannuated journalists who never amounted to much out in the real world, justifying their existence by telling us what we already know. During the last five years, not two, many hundreds of good journalists have been shown the door by traditional media, principally newspapers, magazines and TV, because the old model is broken and beyond fixing.The casualties are getting by any way they can, including in the supposedly wonderful new world of digital media where they are being overworked and under paid to turn out drivel for start up “entrepreneurs” who don’t know the difference between editorial and advertorial and who care even less. Yes, there is all this whiz bang new stuff out there but 90 per cent of it is white noise – irritating to the eyes, ears and brain.
I couldnt give stuff about Rudd or Abbott, the posters above who focus on personalities and not policies are the reason we are in this situation.
1st – Cover up their heads, change their voices and ACTUALLY LISTEN to what they are each saying.
2nd – remove refugees from the discussion, we are talking about a few thousand people a year meanwhile millions are affected by policies that never get air time.
3rd – Realise that there is no difference between the two of them and see if you can find an alternative.
I don’t know about other journalists but I have never had so many on going commissions – the busiest ever as a freelance business journalist across Asia for Aus, USA and Asian media
Jack B. Nimble: I’m standing by for innovation not more blogs and travel stories. No crystal ball handy, but if the worlds of capitalism, politics and activism are exploiting the power of storytelling; that’s hopeful indication for people with ability to report and drive narrative. Innovations will come from journalists themselves but also those who understand the true value of their skills.
A lot of the stuff that filled pages is no longer going to be paid for. Some of them will get jobs in pr.
A team of journalism academics looking into redundant journalists?
Just give them your jobs. They couldn’t do any worse, if all journalism academics do is call for media controls on journalists.
One of the biggest challenges facing journalism is breaking out of the limited mindset drilled into younger journalists at university about what is and is not journalism and what journalists do and don’t do … usually taught by people who haven’t been in the industry for decades.
Sadly, it’s not just the business model in journalism that’s broken but the culture too and well-meaning media academics who lack perspective, experience and commercial nous are actually part of this industry’s problems.
Ironically, there are so many opportunities in journalism at the moment if you happen to be a journalist without a degree in journalism.
I have 10+ years of pretty good journalism experience in Australia and London. Recently redundant, I watch the job sites like a hawk and apply for anything that appears suitable. The best I get is some idiot recruiter phoning wanting advanced HTML and CSS skills (which I don’t really have.) These ARE NOT journalist jobs they’re tech, coder jobs. They’re not even interested in my writing/editing skills. How did coding websites make you an “editor”?????
@ RoRo… I’d be interested to know more about “there are so many opportunities in journalism at the moment”… Really???