Why many journalists stay in the newsroom
Writer: Odoobo C. Bichachi. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The more older and more experienced journalists have left for greener pastures or for less hectic and less risky jobs.
It is a public secret that many newsrooms the world over are experiencing a high turnover of journalists. This is attributed to many reasons that include the rise in social media that has spawned citizen journalism and contributed to the disruption of the traditional media business model, leaving many outlets in the doldrums.
As a result, many newsrooms around the world, compared to say a generation or so ago, are today largely staffed with young journalists learning the ropes, and that in turn move out as soon as they learn to fly.
This keeps the newsrooms in a constant revolving state of training and mentoring, only to begin all over again. The older and more experienced journalists have left for greener pastures or for less hectic and less risky jobs. For the case of the media in Uganda, this phenomenon was well captured in a 2021 report by African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), titled, “A portrait of Ugandan journalists in turbulent times”.
It states, inter-alia:“…the typical Ugandan journalist is male, below 35 years, has less than 10 years of experience on the job, isn’t specialised in covering one or two beats, and earns not more than Shs1,000,000 ($280) per month.”
The report attributed this state of affairs to: “Low pay, poor working conditions, precarious job security as well as threats to journalistic freedom all combine to contribute to high occupational mobility within Ugandan newsrooms. The high attrition rate has left behind young newsrooms. The inexperience of journalists in many newsrooms directly affects the quality of the journalism they deliver.”
Anyhow, while there is a tendency to dwell on why journalists are leaving newsrooms for greener pastures in the corporate and NGO world, little attention is often paid to why many of them stay in the newsroom, all challenges notwithstanding.
Gregory P Perreault, associate professor of media literacy and analytics at the Zimmerman School for Advertising and Mass Communications at the University of South Florida writes an interesting article for Nieman Lab on what keeps many journalists in the newsroom.
Titled “We know why journalists leave the profession. A new study looks at why they stay” (September 17, 2024), the article illuminates the findings of a study by Dr Claudia Mellado, a professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso – Chile, on what brings journalists joy in their work and therefore makes them stay.
The study found that despite the challenging work hours and other pull-backs, two things keep journalists in the newsroom, “…joy in exercising service-oriented roles of journalism and in opportunities for camaraderie.”
Apparently, journalists find joy in the emotional connections with their audiences; telling stories that matter to them, that touch them and that create change in people’s lives. They also find joy in the “camaraderie in their workplaces, which offered them emotional support in reporting the heavy stories and amplified their happiness in the light stories.”
The study concludes, among other things, that for many journalists, “The day-to-day work of news was the opportunity to learn for a living. And what they learned often reminded them that humanity offers stories of conflict, yes, but also stories of forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and generosity.”
*****Readers have their say
Samwiri Wakhakha: Refer to your article, “What readers, viewers want from news media” (September 13), which I find quite educative and insightful. This is the basis of my concern and reason for writing to you.
Lately, I have noted that NTV-U regularly brings Mr Lawrence Muganga, vice chancellor of Victoria University, to discuss matters pertaining to education reform in Uganda, including the new curriculum for lower secondary and the Education Bill currently in Parliament. In one week he appeared twice in your programmes; Morning at NTV and NTV News Weekend edition. With all seasoned and solid educationists we have in this country, why does NTV give us this person about whom very little is known? What is his track record in education in this country?
Public Editor: Thank you for this feedback. The issues you raise, including those that have been edited out for ethical and legal reasons, are well noted and have been shared with the editors for further engagement.
