Transformative Times: Australian Journalists' Perceptions of Changes in Their Work

Abstract

Numerous studies have pointed to the fact that journalism in most industrialised societies is undergoing a particularly intensive period of transformation. Yet, while many scholars have studied how news organisations are changing, comparatively few studies have inquired into how journalists themselves are experiencing the changes in their work brought on by the technological, economic and cultural transformations. Based on a representative study of Australian journalists, this article reports on their perceptions of changes in a variety of influences on and aspects of their work over the past five years. It finds that journalists say change has been most notable in audience interactions and technological innovation, while economic changes are somewhat less strong. Importantly, they are also very concerned about an increase in sensationalism and a drop in journalistic standards and the credibility of journalism. Results are also compared across different organisational contexts.

Political journalists’ corporate and personal identities on Twitter profile pages: A comparative analysis in four Westminster democracies

“…In particular, the finding in relation to Australia is supported by similar evidence from a broader study of Australian journalists’ Twitter profiles (Hanusch and Bruns, 2017). While both Australia and New Zealand have also been experiencing considerable declines in their numbers of journalists and increased competition (Hanusch, 2015; O’Donnell et al, 2012), comparatively speaking, they have for quite some time benefited from a less competitive environment than their counterparts in the United Kingdom (Young, 2010).…”

Travel blogging, professionalism, and the changing boundaries of knowledge production

“…Sponsors may include brands or Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), which market specific locations (Marine-Roig, 2014). Successful development of credibility and authenticity in building a blog brand could, as Hanusch (2015) suggested, be an asset to bloggers as it gives them more market value in a competitive field. These features, then, are likely markers of professionalism for travel bloggers.…”

Too close for comfort: journalists’ ethical challenges in regional Australia

“…Some questions, including those on ethics, enabled respondents to select all the options that applied to their experience. The questions were informed by the researchers’ journalism industry experience and consultation with journalism colleagues as well as the literature (see, for example, Friend and Singer, 2015; Hanusch, 2015a; Zion and Craig, 2014). For most questions except the establishing ones, participants were also given the opportunity to expand or explain in their own words.…”