The Journalism and the Pandemic Project, a partnership between the International Center for Journalists and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, published the first part of their global survey of journalists on Tuesday.
The results were “startling and disturbing,” wrote project authors Julie Posetti, Emily Bell, and Peter Brown:
Based on an analysis of 1,406 vetted survey completions during the pandemic’s first wave, we can conclude that many journalists covering this devastating human story, at great personal risk, were clearly struggling to cope. Seventy percent of our respondents rated the psychological and emotional impacts of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis as the most difficult aspect of their work. A similar number (67%) identified concerns about financial hardship as a significant difficulty, while the intense workload was ranked the third biggest challenge, ahead of social isolation and the risk of actually contracting the virus.
The English-language survey was conducted in May and June, during what we were calling “the first wave” of the pandemic in the U.S., and the vetted respondents came from 125 countries. (The responses collected in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian will be included in a later report.)
The cuts have been deep as the financial fallout of Covid-19 has prompted some newsrooms to reduce spending, layoff or furlough staff, or close up for good. A full 70% of respondents reported that they’d been personally affected by at least one cutback — including 21% who’d had their pay reduced, 6% who’d lost their jobs, and 2% who said their outlets had closed entirely. Of the 38% who said their newsrooms had been “adversely affected” by the pandemic, nearly half said revenues had declined by more than 50%.It’s not all that surprising, then, that journalists said the number one thing that would help them do their jobs more effectively is more money. More than three-quarters said their publication could use funds to meet basic operating costs (including salaries). Training and equipment for remote reporting also registered high on the wishlists.
What are the top needs of journalists covering the pandemic? Basic financial support, specialized training in remote reporting, advanced verification and healthcare reporting, and better metal health support from employers @TowCenter @ICFJ pic.twitter.com/OBkcNcf3eD
— emily bell (@emilybell) October 13, 2020
The report also showed journalists grappling with a lack of personal protective equipment, increasing online harassment, sources worried about reprisal, and disinformation from public officials, as co-author Julie Posetti summarized in a thread on Twitter:
Among the first 30 findings from the #JournalismandCOVID project published today, the most disturbing include evidence of employers’ neglect of journalism safety concerns – from failures to provide #mentalhealth support to the most basic #COVID19 PPE & kit https://t.co/s1GfeOvnZ2 pic.twitter.com/laV8BKFSEC
— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti) October 13, 2020
#Disinformation purveyors wear many guises & while ‘regular citizens’ were most frequently identified (49%) by our respondents as a top disinfo source, *political leaders and elected officials* were a very close run second (46%) https://t.co/s1GfeOvnZ2 #JournalismandCOVID pic.twitter.com/7yUVYYv4OH
— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti) October 13, 2020
Nearly 50% of our respondents said their sources were reluctant to speak to them about #COVID19 due to fear of reprisals, ranging from physical violence and legal harassment to employment repercussions #JournalismandCOVID https://t.co/s1GfeOMYQA pic.twitter.com/pluN5G0uv0
— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti) October 13, 2020
The ongoing erosion of #pressfreedom under the cover of #COVID19 was also experienced by our respondents, who reported a wide range of violations – from censorship and restrictions on movement to physical violence and expulsion #JournalismandCOVID https://t.co/s1GfeOMYQA pic.twitter.com/7LDhOLTrGo
— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti) October 13, 2020
It wasn’t all bad news. About half of respondents said their audience’s trust in their news organization had increased during the first wave of the pandemic and 38% said they’d experienced an uptick in audience engagement. “These comparatively optimistic findings may be key to reimagining post-pandemic journalism as a more mission-driven and audience-centered public service,” the authors wrote.
Now, some good news: Based on our survey #COVID19 made journalism more audience-centred, with respondents perceiving an increase in audience trust and positive engagement. The journalists themselves indicated renewed commitment to their vocational mission https://t.co/s1GfeOvnZ2 pic.twitter.com/mcNZkYRtgF
— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti) October 13, 2020
You can download the full report here.
