Lawrie Zion

Where do journalists go after newsroom job cuts

This article explores the aftermath of job loss in journalism in 2012, a year of dramatic press industry restructuring in Australia. It reports the findings of a pilot survey of 95 Australian redundant journalists, undertaken as part of the New Beats project, a five-year, university–industry investigation of what happens to journalists, and journalism, after job loss. Three related questions drive the analysis: Where do journalists go after job cuts? How do they make sense of job loss? What happens to professional identity? In contrast to a recent study of journalists laid off from the British press, and the literature on the aftermath of job loss for older professionals, this research finds that, in practical terms, the Australian journalists had relatively better than expected post-job loss experiences. All but two of the redundant journalists seeking re-employment found some form of work within one year, and, thanks to union-enforced redundancy agreements, most left newsrooms with severance payments that cushioned the financial impact of unemployment. Yet, the majority did not resume their full-time careers in journalism, and many were emotionally traumatised not only by job loss but also career change. The article argues a sense of leaving a newspaper industry in seemingly terminal decline amplified feelings of anger and anxiety about both the future of journalism work, and lost professional identity, prompting many to leave the profession intentionally and seek jobs elsewhere.

A Profile of Australian Sport Journalists (Revisited)

This article presents key findings from a survey of Australian sport journalists, the first of its kind since Henninghams (1995) seminal study in the early 1990s. Australian sport journalists participated in an online survey, which asked questions related to their profile and work practices. The findings reveal that in many respects the profile of Australian sport journalists is similar to what it was almost twenty years ago, yet there are indications that both the professional lives of sport journalists and the broader sport media industry are undergoing significant change. Like their predecessors, contemporary Australian sport journalists are ‘30-something’, predominantly Australian-born, work in a male-dominated environment, plan to be working in journalism or the media in five years’ time and have similar views about the functions of the news media. The contemporary Australian sport journalists differ in that they are far more educated, are more likely to be located in Victoria and are now more likely to work in non-print media forms such as radio and online than their predecessors, who were far more likely to work in the print media.

Sport media and journalism: An introduction

The media have played a key role in sports ascendancy as a social, cultural and economic institution, both in Australia and internationally. This article outlines some of the recent developments in the nexus between sport and the media, as well as the criticisms that have been levelled at the sport journalism profession. It is argued that it is now difficult to analyse sport, in its many forms, without acknowledging its relationship with the media, and vice versa. The final part of the article draws together the key issues and debates addressed in this themed issue.

Working for less: the aftermath for journalists made redundant in Australia between 2012 and 2014

ABSTRACT While media organisations continue to lay off journalists in Australia, the long-term outcomes of mass redundancies are just beginning to unravel. A key finding from a survey sample of 225 Australian journalists who exited their jobs between 2012 and 2014 is that while just over 60% of respondents continued to work wholly or partly in journalism roles, income loss was significant across the board. This is partly explained by the precarity of work experienced by many participants post-redundancy. But lower incomes were also noted amongst those who remained in full-time journalism positions: indeed, those who moved to full-time roles in other professions were likely to be earning more. Meanwhile, the finding that those aged over 50 faced the most significant drop in income points to particular problems faced by older workforce participants.

UniPollWatch:: A model for cross-campus political journalism education

The 2014 UniPollWatch project brought together the journalism schools of four Victorian universities to cover the 2014 state election. The project was a unique experiment in political journalism ed...

For the lifestyle and a love of creativity: Australian students’ motivations for studying journalism

A number of studies have examined why students choose to study journalism at university, but overall, this area is still relatively underexplored. Yet, understanding why students choose journalism, and what career expectations they hold, is important not only for educators but also for wider society and public debates about the future of journalism and the value of tertiary journalism education. This article examines the motivations of 1884 Australian journalism students enrolled across 10 universities. It finds that hopes for a varied lifestyle and opportunities to express their creativity are the most dominant motivations among students. Public service ideals are somewhat less important, while financial concerns and fame are least important. These motivations also find expression in students’ preferred areas of specialisation (referred to in Australia as rounds): lifestyle rounds are far more popular than politics and business rounds or science and development rounds.

Review: Good Writing for Journalists: Narrative, Style, StructurePhillipAngela, Good Writing for Journalists: Narrative, Style, Structure, Sage, London, 2007, ISBN 1 4129 1917 7, 211 pp., A

No. 126 — February 2008 a certain level of homogenisation. The Professionalisation of Political Communication offers a deep review of the European state of the art of this emerging field in communication studies. Funded by the European Union, the editorial team completed a fruitful compilation of research papers about the similarities and the divergences between some members of the Old Continent. The interest in these kind of practices, such as the political and media uses of polls, the creation of ‘war rooms’ or the new role conferred to the internet, is increasing both at a scholarly and popular level because of the higher visibility of consultants and experts. Things behind the curtains of the public representation of politics are beginning to catch the interest of more and more of the public, maybe as a result of the current process of mediatisation of daily life. This collective work brings some interesting case studies to light. England, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, France and Hungary are the eight selected countries to arrive at conclusions shared by most of the European territories, as is brilliantly underlined by the overall analyses of the first two chapters of the book. A number of social indicators show the continuous loss of membership by political parties inside the EU that lead us to an alternative way of thinking and practising political life. The growing presence of media and communication strategies pulls some people to frame the public arena as a show, usually helped along by the politicians in their fight for media visibility. Therefore it should not be surprising to find a major presence of ‘face-makers’ on TV screens, which hide the classical lines of an ideological debate. The US influence is clear in some of the cases presented, and is taken as a natural itinerary to be followed by other countries. Presenting political communication as a show strongly related to the media or addressing all the efforts on the candidate in spite of presenting a broader team are some of the paths that talk about the Americanisation of European political communication. To conclude, this book brings together a number of important elements that provide an update of the available knowledge in this field. First, its geographical focus, which recognises Europe’s diverse origins, philosophies and political structures, points to future objects of study for media. Second, the presence of political communication ,both at the political and the citizen levels, will continue to grow so a better understanding about the techniques and strategies as well as public diffusion and understanding is much needed. Finally, words such as ‘professionalisation’, ‘mediatisation’ or ‘Americanisation’ of political communication could be presented as significant keywords in the European field, but as a result of the different historical and political backgrounds the final outputs should be analysed differently from the dominant models of the United States. — Miguel Vicente Mariño, Sociology, University of Valladolid, Spain