Survey: Business Journalists Are … Optimistic?!
5 questions about Business Journalism Survey 2010 from Reynolds Center on Vimeo.
A report commissioned by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism indicates that many business journos are optimistic about the future of their craft, have learned new skills and have increased their workload.
Andrew Leckey, president of the National Center for Business Journalism, found upside even among findings that might normally be taken as negative: Business journalists “have fewer copy editors to make sure their work is accurate. That means they have to know what they’re talking about,” said Leckey.
On the other hand, “some say they have less time to devote to investigative business pieces, says Leckey.
Respondents to the survey were veterans, averaging 20 years of journalism experience and 12.8 years of business-journalism experience.
Other findings of the survey:
• Six out of 10 are doing more or about the same level of investigative journalism.
• Nine out of 10 have learned new skills.
• Three-fourths say their workload has increased and they use social media.
• About half blog, file first for the Web and cover more beats.
Tim McGuire at Arizona State’s Cronkite School of Journalism expressed skepticism over the report, and looked for possible explanations for what he said was a surprisingly sunny attitude among business journalists:
There are two fairly negative possibilities that could explain these positive reactions. First, the cutbacks in staff have been so dramatic there is a possibility only the most dedicated and the most positive people remain. Secondly, there is an excellent chance reporters and editors have bought into a grand, spell-binding illusion that things aren’t as bad as they seem and they’re bound to get better. Call that the blissful lemmings into the sea theory.
(h/t Romenesko)
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