Mapping Change in Journalism

The principal purpose of the research project is to help journalism researchers, policy makers and practitioners better understand the changes that are taking place in the professional orientations of journalists, the constraints under which they work, as well as the social functions of journalism in a changing world. Such a study is especially relevant during a time of dramatic transformations taking place within the institution of journalism. The study therefore aims to assess the state of journalism in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in relative comparison and in contrast to other societies around the world; to trace changes over time; to detect and map the constraints and influences that shape journalists` work; and to assess the principal factors that shape journalism in the three countries. Another goal is to coordinate ongoing empirical efforts of studying journalists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; to create a timely data infrastructure on the state of journalism and changes within the profession for use in further research and the public domain; as well as to foster international collaboration in journalism research between and beyond Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The applicants believe that it is essential to keep track of ongoing changes within the institu-tion of journalism in a time of crisis and unprecedented change in public communication, which may have important ramifications for society and public discourse. Such a "journalism barometer" can be a helpful tool for journalism researchers, as well as media managers, regulators, journalism educators, and the professional community of journalists themselves. In addition to contributing to scientific knowledge about journalism, the study therefore aspires to provide a service to the field of practice. Conceptually and methodologically, the study is embedded within the larger comparative framework of the Worlds of Journalism Study, which is a global research endeavor to regularly assess the state of journalism throughout the world. Under the leadership of the main applicant, the Worlds of Journalism Study has brought together researchers from about 90 countries. A second wave of parallelized surveys is currently being carried out until the end of 2014. Research in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be carried out on the basis on a unified research framework. The methodological procedure consists of four major modules: the estimation of the population, interviews with journalists, data consolidation and data analysis, as well as dissemination and outreach. In order to achieve the study`s goals, between 850 and 1100 interviews with journalists will be conducted via telephone (CATI) with the help of student research assistants in each of the three countries. The envisaged period of data collection is September to December 2014. Towards the end of the project, we will also organize an international conference in Munich involving researchers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as leading experts in the field. Furthermore, the conference will be opened up to a larger international audience, with a competitive call for papers issued to attract additional attendees working on changes in journalism.

The research project has focused on the assessment of journalism with a comparative perspective between Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Based on the assumption that journalism is currently under transformation, we were seeking to track changes and detect the pressures and influences that shape the news production process from a journalistic point of view. Therefore, we were able to gain insights into the state of journalism and the current conditions under which journalists have to perform their profession. Our findings provide evidence that transformations such as the Internet caused changes in journalistic work e.g., through the growing importance of technical skills and the increased importance of the use of the Internet. Furthermore, journalists in all three countries have agreed that competition within the field has increased. An interesting observation is that Austria, compared to Germany and Switzerland, employs more journalists with lower academic credentials. Considering the aforementioned challenges journalists are facing, these results are worrying. Furthermore, since comparative studies involving Austria, Germany and Switzerland are rare, the study contributes to the state of journalism research through comparative research based on a common methodological framework. Because the three German-speaking countries share a similar background with regard to their political and media system, our findings show a lot of similarities among Austrian, German and Swiss journalists. On the other hand, however, the revealed differences can be traced back more clearly to the various national circumstances. Field work took place between November 2014 and August 2015. The time schedule proposed has been expanded since representative journalism research is often concerned with various issues such as the willingness of the media companies to provide information as well as the journalists willingness to participate in the study. Initial motivation to participate was relatively low for several reasons. For example, high work load and the transformation of the newsroom environment were often named as reasons for non-participation. Interestingly, some of the interviewed journalists were quite skeptical of our motivation, so that it was often needed to send additional information and evidence of the institutional affiliation. Both forced us to undertake unscheduled telephone calls in order to motivate journalists to participate in the online survey. At the same time, the majority of those journalists that participated in the survey, indicated to be interested in learning about the findings of the project for which we will provide them with a short overview of the outcome.