1、A STUDY BYThe State of Journalism2023Social media habits,reporting strategies,PR pitching preferences and moreResearch PartnersMethodologyWe surveyed 2,226 journalists from January 4th to February 6th,2023.The goal of this survey is to understand the current state of journalism and the future outloo

2、k of the industry by speaking to the people who produce the news.The self-administered online survey survey collected 2,226 responses.Muck Rack distributed the survey with the help of 14 research partners including Society of Professional Journalists and Online News Association.Survey responses were

3、 primarily sought through email and most respondents came from email outreach directly to journalists in Muck Racks database.The survey was open from January 1 until February 6,2023.The majority of responses came from U.S.-based journalists,and Asia,Africa and Europe were well represented as well.Su

4、rvey responses were checked for duplicates as well as inconsistent or low-effort responses.The conservative estimate of the margin of error for this survey is+/-2.4%.There are two exceptions to this.First is the salary question which only uses responses from journalists from the U.S.and has a smalle

5、r sample size.The margin of error for this question is 3.3%.The second is two questions regarding freelancer pay.The margin of error for these questions is 3.7%Executive Summary Economic uncertainty has impacted the work of around two-thirds of journalists.The number of journalists who say theyre mo

6、re likely to respond to pitches now compared to last year has increased by about 7%.Journalists plan to spend more time on Youtube,Linkedin and TikTok.About half of journalists considered leaving Twitter,but only 28%say they plan to spend less time on the social network this year.Fewer journalists f

7、ind CEOs to be credible sources.74%found them credible in the 2021 report versus 62%this year.Millennials and Gen X are the most commonly reported target audiences for journalists Journalists cite lack of funding and disinformation as top concerns for the industry.Journalism trends,challenges and ev

8、ents1Two out of three journalists say their work has been impacted by economic uncertaintyHow has economic uncertainty affected your work?(select all that apply)Economic uncertainty has not affected my reportingIve switched jobs or made a career changeLayoffs/furloughs at my outlet(s)have increased

9、my workloadMore stories about the economyPersonal layoff(s)have meant less work in generalLess news to cover as companies postpone new releases0%20%40%50%30%10%33%22%21%21%18%9%Total sample size:1964 answersMore than half of journalists are optimistic about their professionTotal sample size:1964 ans

10、wersAre you optimistic about the journalism profession?No 42%Yes 58%Disinformation and lack of funding are the top two concerns of journalistsWhat issues facing journalism are most concerning to you?(choose your top 3)1.Quality control/fact-checking support in newsrooms2.International press freedom3

11、.Overwhelming news cycle/too many stories to cover4.Lack of students/new job seekers interested in journalismDisinformation50%Lack of funding50%Trust in journalism/media40%Lack of independence in news media32%Politicization and polarization of journalism32%The decline of local news29%Quality control

12、.123%International press.217%Too many stories.317%Pay-for-play content16%Too few journalists14%Other(please specify)11%Affiliate marketing7%Lack of students.46%Journalist safety30%Decreasing readership31%News and media literacy31%Competing for audience attention/against too many other stories30%Lack

13、 of time to cover stories thoughtfully33%Total sample size:1964 answersThe third most cited concern is trust in journalism,and the least cited is a lack of new students and job seekers in the industry.Nearly 80%of journalists say trust in the their area of coverage has increased or stayed the same D

14、o you feel that your audiences trust in coverage of your area of journalism has increased or decreased in the past year?IncreasedDecreasedIts the same0%20%40%60%80%100%33%21%46%Total sample size:1964 answersMost journalists get their news from online newspapers,followed by TwitterIn general,where do

15、 you go first for your news?Online newspapers or magazinesTwitterPrint newspapers or magazinesOnline newslettersOtherTV/cable newsFacebookRadioPodcastsOther social mediaLinkedIn59%14%5%4%4%3%3%2%2%2%1%0%20%40%60%Total sample size:1916 answersWhile the ranking stayed the same,the number of journalist

16、s who turn to Twitter for their news decreased by 4%compared to last year.Almost half of journalists believe short-form video will grow in popularity in 2023What medium do you think will grow in popularity in 2023?Short-form video(e.g.Tiktok)PodcastsNewslettersLong-form video(e.g.YouTube)Other(pleas

17、e specify)43%25%13%12%7%0%20%40%60%80%100%Total sample size:1964 answersVirtual events may be falling out of favorHow likely are you to cover a virtual event in 2022?Compared to last year,journalists who say they are“more likely to cover virtual event”dropped by 8%while those less likely to cover th

18、em rose by 7%.45%26%28%An event going virtual does not affect their likelihood of covering itAre less likely to cover a virtual eventSay theyre more likely to cover a virtual eventTotal sample size:2037 answersIn-person events are seeing a comebackCompared to 2022,do you plan on attendingmore or few

19、er in-person events in 2023?The number of journalists who plan to attend more in-person events in 2023 rose by 13%compared to last year.More 66%Fewer 7%The same 27%Total sample size:2037 answersTop 10 events journalists plan to cover in 2023Total sample size:2037 answersUN Climate Change Conference(

20、COP28)World Conference on Climate Change and SustainabilityWorld Economic ForumGovernment Social Media ConferenceComic-Con San Diego1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.TEDSXSWNational Civil Rights Conference New York International AutoShowE3Social media usage and habits2The number of journalists tracking their sto

21、ries on social media is growingTotal sample size:1916 answersDo you track how many times your stories are shared on social media?No 34%Yes 66%This number has grown about 4%since our 2021 State of Journalism survey.Twitter is the most valued social network,followed by Facebook and LinkedInWhat social

22、 network is most valuable to you as a journalist?Twitter78%34%32%24%19%10%9%4%1%FacebookLinkedInInstagramYouTubeRedditTikTokSignalSnapchat0%20%40%60%80%100%While the rankings are the same as last year,a shakeup may be happening.LinkedIns popularity grew by 8%this year and TikTok jumped up 5%.Meanwhi

23、le,Facebook fell by 5%.Total sample size:1916 answersJournalists plan to spend more time on LinkedIn and YouTube,less time on FacebookDo you expect to spend more or less time on the following social networks this year?0%20%10%30%40%Twitter33%28%16%32%Facebook36%13%LinkedIn28%17%Instagram16%8%Reddit8

24、%30%YouTube8%22%TikTok10%2%SnapchatMoreLessLinkedIn and YouTube will likely be winning a lot of journalists attention this year.They have the biggest difference between those who will spend more time there vs.less.Snapchat and Facebook are the only platforms where it looks like more journalists are

25、stepping back.Total sample size:1916 answersMost journalists consult a companys social media in their reportingWhen reporting on a company,I consult the companys social mediaStrongly disagree 6%Disagree 7%Strongly agree 15%Neither agree nor disagree 26%Agree 44%Total sample size:1916 answersNearly a

26、ll journalists use TwitterTotal sample size:1916 answersDo you use Twitter?Yes 90%No 10%Journalists are split over leaving TwitterHave you considered leaving Twitter in the last year?YesNoIm not sure0%20%40%60%80%100%50%44%7%Total sample size:1707 answersFollowing news,promoting their work and findi

27、ng sources are the top 3 ways journalists use TwitterHow do you use Twitter professionally?Follow the newsPromote my workFind sourcesConnect with other journalistsShare my opinion/point of viewConnect with my audience/readersDiscover new voices0%20%40%60%80%100%83%78%69%67%61%48%43%Total sample size

28、:1710 answersMedia relations and pitches preferences3Some journalists are more receptive to pitches this year vs.last yearCompared to a year ago,I am:More likely to respond to pitchesLess likely to respond to pitchesJust as likely to respond to pitches0%20%40%60%80%100%29%19%53%Total sample size:180

29、0 answersThis year 29%of journalists are more likely to respond to pitches,which is a 6%increase compared to last years report.Many journalists lament the lack of relevant pitchesWhy do you immediately reject otherwise relevant pitches?Lack of personalizationBad timingOther(please specify)Confusing

30、subject lineToo lengthyLarge attachments0%20%40%60%80%100%24%22%21%17%13%3%Year after year,journalists say the same thing:pitches get rejected if they arent personalized or come at a bad time.However,about a quarter of all“other”responses say the pitches they receive are unrelated to their beats.Tot

31、al sample size:1800 answersMost journalists get up to 5 pitches per dayHow many pitches do you receive on an average business day?And about 60 people said their email is clogged with at least 255 pitches every week.Total sample size:1800 answers0303140415051+0%40%80%100%60%20%10%30%50%70%

32、90%11%50%20%9%4%2%1%3%Many journalists put out 24 stories per weekAbout how many stories do you publish in an average week?But another 47%create more than 5 stories a week.Total sample size:1800 answers01245781011+0%40%80%100%60%20%5%18%31%19%9%19%Only about one in four journalists say none of their

33、 stories come from pitchesAbout what portion of storiesyou publish originate from pitches?About the same amount say half or more of their stories come from pitches,while the majority get about a quarter of their stories that way.Total sample size:1800 answers0One in fourTwo in fourThree in fourAll0%

34、40%80%100%60%20%22%55%15%6%2%Academic experts reign supreme as the most credible sourcesDo you consider the following to be credible sources for your reporting?Academic subject matter expertsCEOsCompany PR professionalsAgency PR professionalsSocial media personalities/influencersCelebrity spokespeop

35、leBloggersSelf-appointed subject matter expertsNone of the above0%20%40%60%80%100%80%62%49%35%19%15%14%12%7%They may hold the second spot,but CEOs have fallen out of favor after dropping 12%in two years,while social media personalities gained 7%during that same time period.Meanwhile,PR pros held ste

36、ady year-over-year with about half of journalists finding them a good source.Total sample size:1800 answersLocalization was less important for shareabilityWhat makes a story shareable?Subject connected to a trending storyContains an image or infographicExclusive and/or surprising dataEasily localize

37、d/made relevant to your target audiennceContains a videoBrevityInvolves a relevant social media influencerQuotes from a company spokesperson0%20%40%60%80%100%69%63%54%47%24%20%12%10%Last year,54%of journalists said stories were more shareable when they are easily localized.This year,only 47%say the

38、same thing.Total sample size:1916 answersBeats,mediums and audiences 4What industries do you cover?(select all that apply)Similar to last year,the average journalist covers 4 beatsTotal sample size:2226 answersPolitics,government,and legal44%Fintech6%Wellness&fitness10%Sports16%Technology21%Consumer

39、 electronics5%Religion10%Science and weather15%Regional/Local(city,state)19%Automotive5%Fashion and beauty8%Food and dining14%Other(please specify)18%Telecommunications6%Agriculture13%Travel17%Art/culture29%Entertainment27%Energy and environment25%Health25%Business and finance25%Crime25%Education25%

40、How would you categorize the scope of your coverage?Local/RegionalTrade0%20%40%60%80%100%International47%National49%40%8%Total sample size:1776 answersMillennial and Gen X are the most commonly reported target audiences for journalistsWho is your target audience?(select all that apply)Gen ZMillenial

41、Gen XBoomerI dont knowOther(please specify)0%20%40%60%80%100%41%57%52%43%17%15%Many who responded“other”targeted based on geographies or said their coverage is for all ages.Total sample size:1800 answersMost respondents primarily report online and just under half also work in printWhich medium do yo

42、u primarily report in?Online onlyBoth online and printPrintTVRadioOther(please specify)Video0%20%40%60%80%100%34%46%6%5%3%3%1%Total sample size:2226 answersThe majority of journalists produce content in two or more mediumsIn addition to your primary medium,do you also produce content at least once a

43、 month in any of the follwing?Online onlyNewsletterVideoPodcastTVRadioOther(please specify)I dont produce content on any additional channels0%20%40%60%80%100%31%18%16%15%8%8%5%32%Total sample size:2226 answersDemographics&salary 5Where are you based?Total sample size:2226 answersUSA49%Asia15%Africa1

44、1%UK9%Europe7%Australia2%South America1%Other1%Canada4%More than 80%of those surveyed are full-time journalistsWhich of the following best describes you?Total sample size:1799 answersIm a full-time journalist,editorial writer,blogger or podcasterIm a full-time freelance journalistI write some journa

45、listic content,but supplement my income with other non-journalistic workOther(please specifiy)0%40%80%100%60%20%57%24%15%4%How old are you?How long have you been a journalist?Total sample size:1776 answers28%27%17%27%2030Under 1 year12 years35 years610 years1020 years21+years3140415051+1%9%20%22%22%

46、26%How much do you earn a year including bonus?(US respondents only)Total sample size:878 answersLess than$40k$40$70k$70$100k$100$150k$150$200kMore than$250kPrefer not to say0%40%80%100%60%20%20%31%20%9%4%1%15%Freelancers:how do you charge for your work?Total sample size:742 answersHourlyBy the word

47、By the scope of the pieceOther(please specify)0%40%80%100%60%20%7%25%49%19%Nearly 60%of freelancers earn less than$300 per pieceFreelancers:on average,how much do you earn per piece?$100 or less$100$200$200$300$300$400$400$500$500$600$600$700$700$800$800$900$900$1000$1000+0%20%40%60%80%100%26%18%14%

48、11%8%5%4%3%1%3%7%Total sample size:1800 answersJOURNALISTS:Showcase your best work,analyze news about any topic and measure the impact of your storiesfor free.PR PROS:Muck Racks Public Relations Management(PRM)platform enables PR teams to find the right journalists for their stories,send customized pitches,build meaningful relationships with the media,monitor news and quantify their impact.Thank you!Claim your free portfoliohttps:/Learn more