Surveying journalism in the digital transformation

In the Journalist Barometer, the market research institute Marketagent has been surveying the mood of journalism since 2004. In cooperation with the communications agency leisure communications, over 400 journalists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were surveyed on current topics in January and February 2023.

"The economic pressure on editorial departments is increasing, leading to a greater blending of marketing and journalism. With few exceptions, printed products are on the verge of losing their significance. Although the working conditions of journalists have deteriorated continuously over the last two decades and satisfaction with pay is falling, 80 percent would choose the job again," summarizes Marketagent Managing Director Thomas Schwabl.

The boundaries between marketing and editorial are fluid

71 percent agree with the statement that in recent years marketing and PR (for economic reasons) are increasingly being processed journalistically without appropriate labeling as advertorial, advertisement or promotion. Only eleven percent of journalists disagree with this statement. Just under half have already had this experience in their own editorial departments. In Austria, 57 percent of journalists have experienced the mixing of marketing and editorial work. In Germany, 46 percent and in Switzerland 43 percent have had similar experiences.

"Many media are currently barely able to withstand the economic pressure and open the back door to the influence of politics, business and interest groups through 'media cooperations' into the editorial office," analyzes Wolfgang Lamprecht, partner at leisure communications.

Image of journalism in decline

More than half of journalists (58 percent) rate the public image of their own profession as less good or poor. 20 percent think their own job has a good or very good image - the view of their own guild in Germany is particularly positive, with a quarter attesting to a favorable public perception.

Whereas in 2004, 31.6 percent of journalists gave themselves a good or very good image, by 2023 this figure had fallen to 19.8 percent.

Fake news and high reach: Opportunities and risks of the digital transformation

The journalists surveyed are ambivalent about the rapid transformation of media brands into the digital space. 92 percent are convinced that increasing digitization opens the door to the spread of fake news. 86 percent see it as an opportunity to reach more people and a wider audience. However, for 84 percent, this is precisely where the danger lies: In order to gain access to a broad target group, neither journalistic qualifications nor an established media brand are needed. Eight out of ten journalists feel increasing competitive pressure within the industry as a result of the digital transformation, and three quarters of the journalists surveyed believe that speed is becoming more important than quality. 73 percent perceive new and interesting fields of work in digital offerings, while two-thirds see it as an enrichment of the media landscape. 60 percent find it more difficult to conduct their own research due to the flood of digital content. For just under 70 percent, work stress has increased as a result of the digital transformation. The perceived increase in stress is particularly high in the younger age group of 20 to 49-year-olds.

37 percent consider their own media company to be well or very well prepared for the digital future, while 28 percent consider their company to be rather or very poorly prepared for the digital transformation.

Almost two-thirds see their own values as being in line with their employer. Six out of ten have a strong sense of belonging to their media company and are proud of it.

Half of them rate the control mechanisms for fact-checking in their own company as good or very good, while 20 percent see room for improvement. When it comes to fact-checking, German journalists are much more self-critical: In Germany, a quarter do not think their company is well positioned, while in Austria the figure is only 13 percent.

"Artificial intelligence requires even more human intelligence in newsrooms. The demand on the training of journalists is increasing faster than the technical development," explains Lamprecht.

Swan song for print media

Three quarters believe that the importance of traditional and established media brands in people's daily information behavior has declined recently. This contrasts with only 18 percent who say that their importance has increased. In the future, printed daily newspapers (83 percent) and magazines (67 percent) as well as weekend newspapers (57 percent) will lose importance. The outlook for TV (42 percent) and radio (26 percent) is somewhat less dramatic. Podcasts and social media (70 percent each), online video (69 percent) and ePaper editions of daily newspapers (60 percent) will gain in importance. Content creators (59 percent), ePaper magazines (51 percent), publisher portals (44 percent), blogs (40 percent) and newsletters (38 percent) will also become more important in the future.

"The established media brand remains significant for people; it will be consumed differently in the future - the daily newspaper as an ePaper, the magazine as a podcast or the 'Tagesschau' as an online video, for example. The curated content of the trusted media brand is the counter thesis to the echo chambers and algorithms of the tech giants, which is important in terms of democratic politics," judges Alexander Khaelss-Khaelssberg, Managing Partner at leisure communications. He adds: "Investments in sound, qualitative journalism ensure the relevance of the media brand on all current and future channels."

Around two-thirds of journalists still consider traditional reports to be more trustworthy, more serious, more qualitative and better researched. Nine out of ten agree on the advantages of digital articles: they are more up-to-date and provide information more quickly. 72 percent also consider them easier to consume.

Media entertain

Asked about the essential function of media, two-thirds are sure that entertainment has gained in importance in recent years. Half think that media enable participation. Four out of ten of those surveyed think that they contribute to opinion-forming and convey information, as well as enabling criticism and control.

"In addition to information, people primarily look to media for diversion, distraction and entertainment. After the last few years, they are tired of negative headlines and long for positive content," says Schwabl.

Preserving the traditional: Debate on media funding

Three quarters are in favor of preserving traditional media through targeted (state) media funding. At 84 percent, approval is particularly high in Austria, where the financing of public broadcasting by means of a budget levy and advertising scandals in the federal government dominated the public debate during the survey period. In Switzerland, only 64 percent of the journalists surveyed believe that the public sector should preserve the traditional; in Germany, the figure is 73 percent.

Multimedia newsroom or traditional separation between print and digital

Two-thirds of respondents are already familiar with working in multimedia newsrooms. 41 percent still know the separation between print and digital editorial departments from their professional past or are familiar with it from another context. As many as one-third still work in separate editorial departments with often different contractual relationships for print and digital journalists. In Austria, the separation between print and digital editorial staff is part of everyday life for 37 percent. In Switzerland, only 24 percent still experience this separation in their media companies.

The separation of print and digital editing is predominantly perceived negatively. Around half think that it leads to a competitive mentality within their own company; 45 percent no longer consider this way of working to be in keeping with the times. 42 percent also recognize positive aspects such as different approaches to topics or focusing on individual areas. A third see their own work as being made more difficult by the separation - in Switzerland, the figure is as high as 46 percent, where most journalists are also no longer familiar with separate editorial teams.

Digital press conferences are here to stay

Just under half of those surveyed consider digital press conferences and events to be a viable model for the future. Only 19 percent do not believe they are a suitable format for gaining knowledge and exchanging information.

39 percent of journalists have more direct contact with their readers, viewers, listeners and users as a result of the digital transformation. Despite all the opportunities for interaction, 24 percent report a slight or strong decrease in contact with their recipients.

Poor working conditions

The opinion of journalists on the development of working conditions in recent years is unanimous: For 82 percent, they have deteriorated. In Switzerland, 91 percent of journalists agree with this statement, in Austria 82 percent and in Germany eight out of ten of those surveyed. Nevertheless, 80 percent would choose the profession again and 60 percent would like to do it until they retire.

The statement is also reflected in the timeline of the Journalists' Barometer. In 2004, two-thirds still spoke of a deterioration in working conditions. The value of negative assessments has risen continuously by 15.8 percentage points over the past 19 years.

The editorial teams are not very happy with their pay. Only 40 percent are satisfied with their salaries. This figure has fallen by 11.9 percentage points since 2004. Just under half work 41 to 60 hours a week, and a quarter work 31 to 40 hours. Around a third would like to reduce their working hours.

In the history of the Journalist Barometer, there have been particularly negative developments not only in the social reputation of journalists. 72 percent believe that the credibility of journalistic work has declined. More than half also see the relevance of the media as the fourth estate in the state dwindling. For more than 60 percent, the diversity of research and information sources has changed for the better. The type and scope of activities in the profession and the freedom to select topics and content are also perceived as positive developments.

"The multiple crises of recent years and their journalistic reappraisal are leaving their mark. Journalism is struggling with itself and is confronted with declining esteem," says Schwabl.

Even more work to come for journalism

Looking ahead, more than two-thirds expect the nature and scope of their professional activities to continue to increase. More than half of the journalists will be confronted with an even greater variety of research and information sources in the next three years. In return, 38 percent expect growing freedom in the selection of topics and content and also more credibility for journalistic work. The outlook for the next three years has hardly changed in direct comparison with the data from 2019.

Positive aspects of the journalism profession

Three-quarters of journalists are satisfied with the nature of their work and 72 percent welcome the diversity of content in their department. 69 percent are positive about the working atmosphere and cooperation with colleagues. 61 percent value their independence.

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Study profile on the Journalists' Barometer: The Journalist Barometer has been surveyed by Marketagent since 2004. For the current study, 404 journalists in Germany (51 percent), Austria (33 percent) and Switzerland (16 percent) were surveyed using Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI). The survey period ran from January 31 to February 27, 2023. 60 percent of the respondents are male, 46 percent work for general interest media, 45 for special interest media and two percent for news agencies. Seventy-seven percent are employed in a permanent position and 29 percent are freelancers. Eleven percent have been in journalism up to ten years, 20 percent up to 20 years, 34 percent up to 30 years and 35 percent over 30 years. Listed by media genre, the sample breaks down into 72 percent print, 46 percent digital, nine percent each TV and radio.