the changes in the working world of journalist the profile of the journalist and the discourses on...

The changes in the working world of journalist

The profile of the journalist and the discourses on journalism: the investigation of changes in the working world of journalism in São Paulo. Supported by Fapesp

(process n. 3783-7)

Communication and WorkResearch Center

1

Methodological approach

- Methodological triangulation (Jensen; Jankowski, 1993): quantitative questionnaire, in-depht interview and focus group.- Quantitative analysis of data; discourse analysis of the interviews and the discussions conducted with the focus groups.

3


Sample Year of the questionnaire application

Selection Employment relationship

Work Places

Group A (Pre-test)

2009 Randomly selected via social networking

professionals from different employmentcontracts (freelancer, contract, cooperative, etc.)

Working in different medium

Group B(Members from the Union of Journalists of São Paulo)

2009 Information given by the Union professionals from different employmentcontracts and functions.

Working in different

Group C(Publishing company)

2007 Selected according to the function selecionados a partir da função que exerciam na empresa

Journalists working in communication companies

Working in magazines from the same magazine

Group D(Freelancers)

2010 From the social networking for freelancers (“Freela.com.br” e “Clicfólio”) and through the snowball technique (Bernard, 1996)

Journalists without employment relationship (freelancers)

Working in different medium/companies

Construction of the sample4


Composition of the samples

Quantitative phase Qualitative phase

Consolidated Selection*

Group A - Journalists contacted through social networking websites (pre-test)

30(**) 26 2

Group B – Union of Journalists of the state of São Paulo 2954 340 9

Group C – Publishing Company 738/142(***) 82 4

Group D - Freelance journalists from the city of SP 152 (****) 90 5

Total 3278 538 20

5


Results

In Group B, 3% of the interviewees did not respond this question

6

Women Men

Group A Group B Group C Group D


Results7

Age Group A Age Group B

Age Group C Age Group C

20-25 26-30 31-35 20-29 30-39 40-49

18-2425-39

25-2940-44

20-25 26-30 31-35 26-40 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60 or more

30-3445 or more

25-29 30-34 35-3918-24 40-44 45 or more

21-30 31-40 41-50 51 or more

21-30 31-40 41-50 51 or more


8


High School/ Incomplete college

College degree

College and specialization

degrees

Master’s degree

Doctorate degree

Did not respond


Less than 1 From 1 to 5


How long have you been graduated?

Results

9


yes no


Did you take specialization courses in the last five years?

Results10

Daily Working Hours (hours/day)

5-7 h/day 8h/day 10h/day 12h/day



Results

Obs.: The publishing company (group C – green) did not allow this question.

11

Salary Range


Up to R$2.000 R$2.000 – R$6.000

R$6.000 – R$10.000

R$10.000 – R$15.000

More than R$15.000

Did not respond.


Results

Obs: This question was not proposed to the Group A (pre-test)

12

Technological character

Work organization

process

Extinction of functions

Business Self-

management


No changes have occurred


None of the above

Did not respond

The nature of the functions has changed


13

Group D Group C Group B Group A

Did not respond

Better quality of life

Workforce reduction

No changes have been made

Less control of the company over the work

Salary reduction

More control over the work

Stress

Possibilities of professional growth

Competition between co-workers

Productivity increase

More dificulty in finding a job

Faster pace of work

The changes turned into:


Results

Obs: This question was not proposed to the Group A (pre-test) and D (freelancers)

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And also into:


Workforce reduction

Productivity increase

Emphasis on

leadership

Increase in profit sharing

Closer relationship with chief

Possibilities of professional

growth


Did not respond


Results


15

They work

Alone

/Indi

vidua

lly

Group DGroup CGroup BGroup AW

ith a

sm

all t

eam

With

a m

ediu

m te

am

With

a b

ig te

am

Did n

ot re

spon

d


Results


16

Their pace of workFast Moderated Stressful Did not respond

Group DGroup CGroup BGroup A


Results17

Where do you work?


At hom

e

At the

com

pany

, in

the

newsr

oom

At the

com

pany

, as

freel

ance

r

At the

com

pany

, as

lega

l ent

ity

At the

offi

ce, a

s le

gal

entit

yAt t

he o

ffice

, in

a

team

work

It de

pend

s on

the

job

Did n

ot re

spon

d


Results18

What do you miss the most in the job?


Specific and updated technical

knowledge

General cultures knowledge

Knowledge from other areas from

journalism

Appropriate technical

equipment

Appropriate methods of

work

None of the options

Did not respond


Results19

In the relationship between personal and professional life, you are able to:


Make long-term planning

Make medium term planning

Make short term planning

Not able to make plans

Did not respond


Results20

Which external factor most affected the journalistic activity?


Advertising revenue

The courses of politics

Competition Public opinion Capturing and retaing

customers

None of the options

Did not respond


Results21

The communication medium are:


Business like another else

A political tool

A tool for information, culture and education

A different business, with social

role

The most promising

business of the globalized

world

Did not respond


Results

Obs.: This question was not proposed to the group C (publishing company), on request from the company.

22

What kind of information the ordinary citizen prefers

Group DGroup A Group B

Information and emotion

Information from different perspectives

Information with clear perspective

Did not respond


Results

Obs.: This question was not proposed to the Group A.

23

And you, what kind of information do you want?

Information and emotion

Information from different perspectives

Information with clear perspective

Did not respond



Results24

The activity you perform allows you to assume that information:


Is a profitable business

Is a fundamental

product in society

Is a citizen’s right

Is an instrument of power

Did not respond


Results25

Which newspaper do you read?Group D Group AGroup BGroup C

I do not read newspapers

Other


Results26

Which news magazine do you read?

Group D

Group AGroup B

Group C

Other


27

Do you watch TV?

Group DGroup A Group B Group C

Sometimes Only on weekends

Everyday Once a week Never Did not respond

Sometimes Only on weekends Everyday Never Did not respond


Do you listen to radio?


Results28

In order of priority, what are the reasons for you to access the internet?


Working, studying, shopping

Studying, leisure, reading

news

Research, leisure,

shopping

Shopping, reading news,

working

Reading news,

working, research

Other reasons

I do not access the

internet

Did not respond


Results29

Did not respond

Other media

Great newspapers

Internet

Radio

Newsletter and newspaper

Great magazines

Television

Neighbours and friends

Newsletter and newspapers from

Chief

Co-workers


Do you know the most important issues for your life through:


Results30

How do you spend most of your free time?


Watching T

V

Talking to

friends

Watching m

ovies at home

Practic

ing sports

Travelin

g on weekends

Going to

pubs and resta

urants

Listenin

g to m

usic

Visiting fa

mily

Going o

ut with

friends

Accessing th

e intern

et

Reading

Going to

the m

ovies

Going to

the th

eater

None of t

he above

Did not r

espond


31

Did you read books in the last month?Communication and WorkResearch Center

Did you go to the movies last month? Did you go to the theater in the last six months?

Yes No Did not respond

NoYes Did not respondNoYes Did not respond


Group DGroup A Group B Group C Group DGroup A Group B Group C

Results32


Did you usually go to:


Church Charities Sports Club Theater clubMusical group

Gym Other None Did not respond

(...) the working world today demands intimacy with the digital world(...) journalism is a change that no one knows very well how is going on, specially because of the social media”“the multifulction journalist” and “the online social networks have revolutionized the search for news characters, they left the press seated”“putting content in the blog in 30 minutes, 30 minutes... Five minutes, and the guy thinks he is a journalist, ‘this is my opinion’”.

The journalist talks about his identification, work and formation

“I’ve worked in a publishing company for a while and then I got out from the formal labor market and now I am a freelance journalist, but I also have a digital agency company”

“it was not a choice to be a freelance journalist, for sure (...) The companies take you to this kind of employment relationship”

“Being a stable freelancer has only negative aspects”

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“I think flexibility is essential, because we have to be professionals and multitasking”

“the journalist has to be curious, have general culture, read, be informed, write well and be...upstanding and honest to know how to present the facts as honestly as possible”.

“I really think some things have changed, we feel a higher demand for multimedia skills, it is something that is more in the air than in the everyday practice”.

“(...) my generation is an analogical generation, the computer itself is for me a more agile typewriter”“i have a certain autonomy to define the communication strategy of the bank”“(...)Even during an isolated process, the production never results from one journalist. Never.”“I studied journalism because I wanted to tell the truth, and many people study journalism because they want to tell the truth, but nowadays you see that the truth is not exactly what is going on”.

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“But never mind, because one thing is the person who knows what he wants and then does research on Google and another is the person who wants to be surprised by a denunciation, with a beautiful story, a human sight that I think it is what journalism should do (...)”

“If it is a news about music, we should use a YouTube video. So, we should create interactions between magazines and internet, create this dialogue, right?”

“Today most of journalists do... Not most of them, but many of them do some kind of publicity work, like creating content to ads. And that sucks, but they are much better paid than in journalism, so these things are worth doing as a freelancer journalist.

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(...I think it is really nice who is able to do something like that, like ‘Look, I’m interviewing the president’, it is nice, but I am not the kind of person who can do this and then the contact is more to know a lot of people”).

(... The internet helps a lot, because I have already got four jobs through my twitter account; people see and like my tweets and “oh, you’re a journalist, etc., I don’t even know what appears there...).

(…“But you’re always working, you work too much or, you never work less, and you never refuse jobs, even when it is too much...”).

(…But I don't think the advisor is a journalist, because when you are defending a company's point of view... I have done some corporative work, I was working only for the magazines Bons Fluidos, Vida Simples... we are always working according the agenda, and I don't have to defend the company, you know, I have to think in my reader...)

(...Yes, when... you are going to write a news story on pimples, on how to heal pimples, you are going to talk about many products, many things that have to do... the press advisor will tell you that are the interesting features of the product, and the journalist will do the same thing... the public interest on the product...)

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(... it is exactly this criticism, for example, to sell an agenda is something that... the relationship between the chief and the advisors is, in my opinion, misrepresented in the sense that the advisory has to sell the chief, regardless of who is the chief or what he does... it is also that thing: you always have to write a story in a specific form, so I think it is a lack o criticism... it lacks because you have to evaluate, because the great companies are conducted by rich families and they have many interests; there are few journalists that can afford to refuse things, there are few that really come to... to return anything that comes to the editorial room and...)(…press advisory is something very explicit. It has no intention of hiding anything because it does not have two sides. It is not telling:"look, we have a toy from Estrela here, but there is another one very nice from the competitor's company”).

(…The journalists from editorial room, maybe because of the rush, is a little lazy. He wants that the press advisory send the story all finished. I have already done something like that, I received the story and just put my name on it. It was everything done. I am not looking to both sides, I am going to write about my perspective and at most, I will put the telephone of the company on it…). (…A boy, twenty-something, is exactly this product that the companies put on the labor market. A boy that escape the critical discussion on ethics, on journalism, because he does not have... He finished school, he did not have this formation, he could have learned some things, but he enters in the labor market and become neurotic about the chief that...)

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(I always talk to the boys that the moment we live today is worst than the dictatorship on journalism, because in those days the story was censored and now the mind of the journalist is censored and he just accept that .)

(... is is that old same discussion about the diploma on journalism. It is necessary or not? I think, for example, that a doctor is more capable of writing a story on medicine than me. I think that a politician is more competent to write about politics than me, because if I have to write a story on politics, I'd have to study for a week. And also, I don't even know what is PMDB or PSDB, my knowledgement on politics is restrict... So, if you say to me "do you want to write a story on politics or can I ask Maluf to do it?". I'd tell: ask Maluf.)(I think journalism is done by journalists. It is something that we can't give up. Opinion is opinion, journalism is journalism. People who write on medicine are going to construct an opinion. He is a specialist and he is going to write about a specific area.) (... information is a public welfare, it has to be constructed by professionals, and these professionals are prepared in universities to know how to deal with public information. If he is going to be a specialist on sports or another issue, ok, it is persoanl taste... but information has to be treated as a public welfare, so the journalist must have ethics, know the limits of information - it is not a mess how it is nowadays, right?)

38



Conclusions

-

-Most of the journalists are women, white and have no children. They are young (about 35 years-old). They have university degree in journalism, have already taken a graduation degree; they work under precarious work relationships, are multiplatform and work for many clients.

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Conclusions

-

-Therefore, it is reductionist to affirm the existence of only ONE profile. Also, it is not accurate to what the research reveals. Generational factors related to the changes in the technological and organizational processes in the working world show that another professional profile is emerging.

40


Conclusions

-The most diverging result between the samples, in relation to the professional profile, arouse from the journalists members of the Union. The main difference was related to gender, age and professional experience period. The data related to the type of work relationship and function show a higher employment stability, in other words, more effective contractual relationships.

41


Conclusions-The journalist is defeated by the instantaneity of

new medium, what requires changes in the self-management at work to deal with other notions of time and space.

-The renormalization of the prescriptions of the journalistic process brings some news: new discourse genres, new elements in the news value, new elements as sources, new organizational procedures on the life and work routine, reinforced engagement in attention, sensibility and recognition.

42


Conclusions-The situation of service providers, with precarious

relationship, put into question the challenge of the journalist to see himself as the manager of his own business, with all the burden of the economic uncertainties, excess of work, lack of security to plan the personal life; and, in the other side, with the fredom to choose where and how to work.

43


ConclusionsThe discourses of the interviewees and focus

group participants enunciate a concern: to account for the increasing demand of tasks and challenges that require skills to translate content on the most diverse topics, directed and offered to different audience, customers and businesses, in various platforms and languages, in little or no stable economic situation.

44


Conclusions

-The older journalists feel rejected by the labor market, however they do not recognize themselves in the current practices. It happens mainly because of the higher demand for intuitive abilities, responding to the compression of time, the nanotime.

-The time that is saturated for the market gain, the real time of the information with circulation value is now experimented in different ways by the older and the younger journalist.

-The more experienced journalists and the younger and critical ones resent the quickness that the decisions are made. Others do not even realize where the values of news and information ethics as citizen rights are going.

45


Conclusions

-The cultural consumption, the family life, the cultural and leisure activities are really affected by the pace of work of the journalists. This characteristic from personal life does not seem to have changed for the better; in fact, the lack of out-of-work time has deepened.

-Among many concerns and disagreements there are those people who understand their work as a collective activity, which depends on a group of people, even when working alone; in other hand, other people see themselves, even in the newsrooms of great media companies, as individual workers.

-Some professionals dress up and prepare themselves to work at home, others work in pajamas. The freelancer journalists are the ones that apparently suffer from the lack of prescriptions and from the uncertainty about what and how they will work in the next day.

46


Conclusions

-The click metrics generates the audience profiles and the editorial lines, dictating rules not only for the web journalism or online journalism, but for all media chain of production, from newspaper to magazines.

-The click metrics outlines the audience profile that the executive director brings to the press room.And also this nanotime is not the dangerous present life which is always a risk, because it is measured in the watch of the client's company.

47


Conclusions

-With the acceleration of times, the variety of platforms and the media convergence, some problems – that are not exactly new – arise, they remain unsolved. They concern to the deontological guidelines of the profession, of journalism ethics in the sources handling, to the view toward not the public interest, but to the client's interest. These difficulties are enunciated in the contradiction: to maintain the basis or to take account of the crazy rhythms and demands of the job.

48


Conclusions

-The quickness of the access to facts, elected as event, characterize the value of the news. The time is now more important than the fact. The fact that does not happen in the nanotime of post updating does not exist.

-The time presents itself as the impostor that prevents the critical and responsible practice of the profession.

-It is a time measured by the action-response increasingly more intuitive; reflecting, pondering, analyzing and interpreting in order to produce a discourse permeated by various voices, full of arguments from different points of view seem almost like a daydream of a romanticized time.

49


Conclusions

The novelties that challenge the profession are the new journalistic genres and the citizen reporter, that is, the witness that enunciates his discourse and circulates his contribution.

The blog, Facebook, Orkut and Twitter appear, firstly, as new instruments for collaborative work that can be done on the worldwide web. Then journalists extrapolate the instrumental function to use them to search, as source, to contact, as guideline, to construct characters to create a discourse genre.

50


Conclusions

- The journalistic genre in blogs contributes to the polyphony of voices. However, how to prevent the increasing simulation of transparency between the event and the journalistic material?

-If the nanotime and the symmetry of what is related as an event are part of the news value (one of the journalists says: in the Internet less is less, nothing to be different), what is the difference between the information given by the audience testimony and the journalistic work?

-The responsibility with the information has as main condition and necessity of the journalist to contextualize the fragmentary information that comes from everyday life – that's what constructs the journalism.

51


Conclusions

The research also showed that the different functions and occupations of the journalists put the question: what are the competences and habilities that allow the journalists to work in different areas?

-Generalist competences; hability to produce, translate and work with different discourse genres; hability to research, synthetise and to deal with people are competences that are still and increasingly required.

- The issue of ethical values and responsability with the right to information must be reinforced as main aspects in the professional formation of the journalist.

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SuggestionsReport: The changes in the working world of journalists

http://www.eca.usp.br/comunicacaoetrabalho/wp/index.php/pesquisas/2008-2010/#resultadosDissertationsLima, Cláudia do Carmo Nonato. Comunicação e mundo do trabalho do jornalista: o perfil dos jornalistas de São Paulo a partir da reconfiguração dos processos produtivos da informação. São Paulo, 2010. 313 p.: il. Acesso em http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/27/27152/tde-30112010-160410/pt-br.phpMuniz Jr., J. S. O trabalho com o texto na produção de livros: os conflitos da atividade na perspectiva ergodialógica http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/27/27152/tde-17022011-122845/fr.phpPicciarelli Jr., Sérgio. As relações de comunicação no processo de produção na Gráfica Abril: inovações, criatividade e reconhecimento do uso de si na atividade de comunicação e de trabalho. http://www.pos.eca.usp.br/sites/default/files/file/bdt/2009/2009-me-picciarellijunior_sergio.pdf Grohmann, Rafael N. Os Discursos dos Jornalistas Freelancers sobre o Trabalho: comunicação, mediações e recepção. São Paulo, 2012, 273 p.ResearchesO perfil do jornalista e os discursos sobre o jornalismo. Um estudo das mudanças no mundo do trabalho do jornalista profissional em São Paulo (2012)http://www.eca.usp.br/comunicacaoetrabalho/wp/index.php/pesquisas/2008-2010/ As mudanças no mundo do trabalho nas empresas de comunicação (2008)http://www.eca.usp.br/comunicacaoetrabalho/wp/index.php/pesquisas/2005-2007/

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the changes in the working world of journalist the profile of the journalist and the discourses on...

Documents

group d group cgroup

hday group

age group b age group

work research center

group b union of journalists

magazine group d freelancers

communication companies

work salary reduction