Print

Mail

wiki links

Weary journalists looking to get out of their industry

Sensing a deterioration in the media environment, as many as 84 percent of journalists want to leave their jobs, up from 64 percent just two years ago, according to a poll released yesterday.

The 1111 Jobs Bank surveyed journalists from Aug. 14 to Aug. 28 in advance of Reporters Day, which falls today. Out of 376 valid samples, 91 percent of TV reporters said they wanted to leave their jobs, compared with 87 percent of magazine reporters and 72 percent working for Internet media.

The survey said 85 percent of female reporters are considering switching jobs, compared with 81 percent of male reporters.

Why are they so fed up? A little over 44 percent said they were most troubled by "not being able to make an appointment with an interviewee," while 31.4 percent felt the profession had no future.

Almost one-third of reporters said that their stories are not as objective as they would like when they are published. For example, TV executives demand that reporters come up with stories within the shortest possible time, making it difficult for reporters to set up interviews with a source. The time pressure was unbearable, respondents said.

A majority of reporters felt they could not choose journalism as a lifelong career. A substantial number also complained that corporate "positions" influence how their stories are presented and what subjects are assigned.

Asked about their views on "rampant" paparazzi or "muckraking culture," few responded that these were positive things. More than 39 percent lamented that these reflected the "low quality" of Taiwan's media; 19.2 percent said that prying into others' privacy destroys social mores; and 17 percent said the practices hurt the ethical standards and integrity of the profession.

What were the advantages of being a reporter? More than 74 percent said it increased their knowledge, 55.3 percent said it built up connections, and 35.6 percent said they had a better grasp of current affairs and the "pulse of society" than other office workers.
This story has been viewed 1484 times.