The big NZ journalism survey: Underpaid, under-trained, under-resourced, unsure about the future – but still idealistic

Abstract

This survey (n=514) updates and extends previous surveys of New Zealand journalists, by measuring attitudes to resourcing, news coverage, ethics and standards, changing technology, ownership and other topics. Reasonably broad coverage of print, broadcast and internet journalists was achieved. Low pay and a lack of support and training, rather than staff numbers, were the standout concerns. Most respondents believed coverage of local, political, business and features was good, while sports achieved the highest rating and foreign coverage the lowest. Respondents generally rated ethics and standards as important, and while they had concerns about sensationalism, they did not seek more regulation. They considered the media was generally performing its watchdog role well, but had concerns about the impact of decreasing resources (especially staff numbers, levels of experience, and time to develop in-depth investigations) on that watchdog role, as well as the impact of changing technology, commercial and advertising pressures. They were evenly divided between antagonism and tolerance in their stances towards public relations. Respondents’ political views were generally neutral or slightly left. There were significant differences across gender, job status, employer and age in many of the results. Demographic data suggest the workforce is becoming more feminised, (as earlier surveys have suggested), with disproportionate numbers of younger women and older men, and an apparent pay disparity between males and females.
 Note: The PJR published version did not include the politics section. A second full text file is linked with the politics section included.

The challenges of science journalism: The perspectives of scientists, science communication advisors and journalists from New Zealand

“…They noted frustration with certain aspects of PR practice that caused problems in meeting story deadlines. These comments support the findings of Hollings et al (2007) suggesting New Zealand journalists have a love–hate relationship with PR professionals, seeing them as necessary yet, at times, difficult to work with. This uneasy relationship, combined with journalists’ power to choose how they utilise press releases, may act as a safeguard to prevent journalists becoming too close to PR professionals and less likely to simply accept and print PR material.…”

SPECIAL REPORT: Causes for concern: The state of New Zealand journalism in 2015

“…These changes raise important questions about their impact on New Zealand journalists. Earlier surveys of New Zealand journalists have generally confirmed that they position themselves within the Anglophone tradition, seeing themselves as independent, objective reporters giving the public important information (Hannis, et al 2014;Hollings, Samson, Tilley, & Lealand, 2007). These surveys have also noted concerns about rising commercial and technological pressures due to the move to digital journalism and about the lack of ethnic diversity in the workforce.…”

“…A particular concern, noted in both quantitative surveys and qualitative research, has been gender inequality, but there has been no reliable data to confirm its extent across the workforce. A 2007 survey found that women, although predominating in the workforce, earned less than men, but did not control for experience, rank or age (Hollings, et al, 2007). In a study of New Zealand women journalists, Strong (2011) found they were leaving journalism early, in part because of the predominantly masculine newsroom culture, but did not quantify pay or rank discrimination.…”

Still Not There: The Continued Invisibility of Female Athletes and Sports in the New Zealand Print Media

“…Previous New Zealand research by Chapman (2007, cited in Bruce, 2008), Fountain and McGregor (1999), Snell (1989, cited in Ferkins, 1992 and The Hilary Commission (1991( , cited in Ferkins, 1992 indicates that there is a sustained history of female athletes receiving less everyday print media coverage than male athletes. Given that the number of women in New Zealand newsrooms is growing (Hollings et al, 2007;Strong, 2011), is the coverage of women in sport also changing?…”