Thursday, October 14, 2021

Tow Center for Digital Journalism survey asked about life at small papers

The Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism has released findings of a survey in a report titled “Life at Local Newspapers in a Turbulent Era: Findings from a survey of more than 300 newsroom employees in the United States.”

The observations in the report are based on an online survey conducted between Aug. 4 and Sept. 8, 2020.

The question at the core of the research report: “What is it like to work at a small-market local newspaper in the United States?”

Among the findings:

Digital increasingly dominates: More than half (57 percent) of respondents said they spend more time on digital output than three years ago. Print remains important, with 54 percent of respondents working across both print and digital products.

Trade publications remain essential for learning: The majority of respondents (67 percent of the total sample in 2020 vs. 57 percent in 2016) said they learn about new tools and technology through articles in publications like Nieman Lab, Poynter and CJR. This is some way ahead of other methods such as attending conferences or more formal training sessions. 

See more here.

News & Tech

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