Name: Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey
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Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey

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HOME&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LATEST STORY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oct. 13, 2020, 1:28 p.m.The Journalism and the Pandemic Project, a partnership between the and the at Columbia University, published the first part of their global survey of journalists on Tuesday.The results were “startling and disturbing,” wrote project authors , , and :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 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— emily bell (@emilybell)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 project published today, the most disturbing include evidence of employers’ neglect of journalism safety concerns – from failures to provide support to the most basic PPE &amp; kit— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti)purveyors wear many guises &amp; 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%)— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti)Nearly 50% of our respondents said their sources were reluctant to speak to them about due to fear of reprisals, ranging from physical violence and legal harassment to employment repercussions— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti)The ongoing erosion of under the cover of was also experienced by our respondents, who reported a wide range of violations – from censorship and restrictions on movement to physical violence and expulsion— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti)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 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— Dr. Julie Posetti (@julieposetti)You can download the full report .&nbsp;What’s the best way to follow how the news is changing?Our daily email, with all the freshest future-of-journalism news.MLAScire, Sarah. "Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 13 Oct. 2020. Web. 13 Sep. 2022.APAScire, S. (2020, Oct. 13). Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved September 13, 2022, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/10/journalists-are-struggling-with-mental-health-financial-hardship-and-disinformation-according-to-a-startling-and-disturbing-survey/ChicagoScire, Sarah. "Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified October 13, 2020. Accessed September 13, 2022. https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/10/journalists-are-struggling-with-mental-health-financial-hardship-and-disinformation-according-to-a-startling-and-disturbing-survey/.Wikipedia{{cite web&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| url = https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/10/journalists-are-struggling-with-mental-health-financial-hardship-and-disinformation-according-to-a-startling-and-disturbing-survey/&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| title = Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| last = Scire&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| first = Sarah&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| work = [[Nieman Journalism Lab]]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| date = 13 October 2020&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| accessdate = 13 September 2022&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;| ref = {{harvid|Scire|2020}}}}Join the 60,000 who get the freshest future-of-journalism news in our daily email.Help advance the Nieman Foundation’s mission “to promote and elevate the standards of journalism” .© 2022 by the President and Fellows of Harvard CollegeWalter Lippmann HouseOne Francis Ave.Cambridge, MA 02138617 495 2237The Nieman Journalism Lab is a collaborative attempt to figure out how quality journalism can survive and thrive in the Internet age.It’s a project of the .Follow usThe basicsProjectsDirectorStaff writers© President and Fellows of Harvard College, unless otherwise noted.

HOME&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LATEST STORY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Oct. 13, 2020, 1:28 p.m.The Journalism and the Pandemic Project, a partnership between the and the at Columbia University, published the first part of their global survey of journalists on Tuesday.The results were “startling and disturbing,” wrote project authors , , and :Based on an analysis of 1,406 vetted survey completions during the pandemic’s first wave, we can conclude that many journalists...

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Rebecca Rozelle-Stone

We are the Nieman Journalism Lab, part of @niemanfdn at Harvard. We're trying to figure out the future of news.

Journalists are struggling with mental health, financial hardship, and disinformation, according to a “startling and disturbing” survey

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