Go ahead, pay my wage!

This topic has further notions for the quality of journalism and what, or whom, constitutes a journalist. I found the presentations very interesting this week and I feel this is a topic which could use further explanation and study in the future, because it would be really intriguing to see some up to date local figures, so we could see just how much (or little) the wages of journalists have been affected in recent years. The idea that the nature of journalist’s contracts are changing was also brought up, with the argument made that more casual and freelance journalists are being chosen over long term positions, and based on some of the websites and blogs I have looked at there is certainly a lot of freelancers out there. Therefore I thought it was useful this week to look at this option in journalism, because throughout uni it has always been implied that we would work for a company, when this is not necessarily the case. I believe great journalism can still occur through freelancers or funded newsrooms, rather than what we would think of as 'traditional' journalism.
I think it was also an interesting point to link low wage to unethical reporting (once again figures would be good) but I think such things ultimately come down to personal ethics.

The following is a link to a story about Fairfax media axing 550 jobs across its New Zealand and Australian newspapers in coming weeks.
http://business.smh.com.au/business/fairfax-media-to-cut-550-jobs-in-australia-nz-20080826-433v.html
While the cuts are not restricted just to journalists, about 50 editorial positions are to be eliminated at the Herald and The Sun-Herald, and the two papers will be combined under a seven-day roster. Assigned journalists will then be expected to work across both titles (which surely has implications for quality) and it appears no wage increase will occur for this extra work. The sub-editing area will be reduced, and outsourcing will occur for some sections of the papers- again raising questions of quality and possibly the loss of local stories. So as stated in the presentations, it is clear that the wages of newspaper journalists may be most affected as advertising revenue moves elsewhere. However as it was said on the Future of Journalism DVD, perhaps journalists need to be responsible for combining their skill with new technology and creating and securing their future online.

It is clear that many media moguls are still making enough money to be able to properly pay the wages of journalists, so it is useful to consider why wages are suffering. The rise of civic journalism may be one reason, it is easier and cheaper to get footage from public citizens (many of which are not paid) and I feel it also links back to globalisation. News content can now be obtained through larger press agencies etc so fewer journalists are needed at a local level, as news can still get produced without them.

The presentation outlined some possible solutions to wage cuts- subscriptions, online-only papers, niche marketing, stand alone journalists and funded newsrooms. I feel these last two options are actually the best for journalists, allowing them to stand on their own two feet and produce quality work. However it is not easy to move into the online world of journalism, particularly for those used to traditional mediums. The barrier of entry in this online world is finding an audience and attracting users. As a result, journalists will need to develop business skills, and skills across more than one medium if they are to avoid further wage reductions. Check out the Press Think blog for more info on stand alone journalism. I find this blog very useful as a lot of credible journalists utilise it to express their ideas, many of which are unique and revolutionary when we think of the notion of traditional journalism, but I believe they useful for the future of journalism. http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2005/04/21/nol_stnd.html

• So which option do you guys think will be most useful and sustainable for journalists in the future?
• How do you feel personally about going it alone?