The Global

Survey On
Journalism’s
Futures
A new global survey by the Future Today
Institute about how those working in news
think about the future.
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Future Today Institute

Survey Methodology
The Future Today Institute conducted a series of on- A similar set of questions were fielded to the general
line surveys from August 4 - September 4, 2017. Par- population in partnership with Ipsos, a global mar-
ticipants were recruited via journalism associations, ket research and consulting firm. The Ipsos survey
including: Global Editors Network, Online News Asso- was conducted online from August 31 to September 1
ciation, Asian American Journalists Association, Na- among 1,004 U.S. adults. For questions about industry
tional Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, Society futures, the sample size was 582 U.S. adults who are
for News Design, Society of Professional Journalists, employed either full or part-time.
National Association of Black Journalists and National
Association of Hispanic Journalists. Participants were
also solicited via FTI’s social media accounts and via
our email distribution lists. Some participants were
also solicited directly by email.

This study was described as a survey about how jour-

nalists think about the future. As such, it is possible
that those participating did so because they, them-
selves, are interested about the future. We did not use
a control group. We asked participants for their per-
mission to publish answers to open-ended questions.
Some agreed with full attribution; others agreed to our
publishing their answers, but did not want to include
their names, titles or organizations.

Eligible participants were required to be currently

or very recently working within a news organization,
which we defined as “any organization that is engaged,
full time, in the collection and distribution of news
content.” University or academic newsrooms were
not included in this survey. We defined “very recent-
ly” as “within the past 24 months.” We intentionally
sought responses from workers serving in a broad va-
riety of roles within news organizations, which includ-
ed newsroom journalists, those working specifically in
technology, and those staff working in management,
regulatory, compliance, human resources and other
business-side roles. Of the 357 people who completed
the surveys within the deadline, 8 were disqualified on
the basis of eligibility requirements.

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Future Today Institute

About the Future Today Institute

Founded in 2006, the Future Today Institute helps
leaders and their organizations prepare for complex
futures. We focus exclusively on how emerging tech-
nology and science will disrupt business, transform the
workforce and ignite social and geopolitical change.
Our pioneering, data-driven forecasting methodology
and tools empower leaders to make better decisions
about the future, today. FTI’s forecasting methodolo-
gy has been featured in the MIT Sloan Management
Review and in the Harvard Business Review, and it is
taught at universities around the world. Learn more at
www.futuretodayinstitute.com.

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Future Today Institute

Our Thanks
We would like to thank the Global Editors Network
(GEN) and Online News Association for their assis-
tance in distributing the survey to their memberships.
GEN was particularly generous in sharing the mission
of this research with its global membership base, while
ONA facilitated the launch of this report at its 2017 in-
ternational conference.

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Future Today Institute

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 6

Key Findings 7

Survey Results 9

Disclaimer 22

Contact Information 23

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Future Today Institute
This new, global survey asked people who work within the news media
ecosystem how they think about the future. One big takeaway: While
staff do track emerging technology and trends in the very near term,
few are thinking about the farther future of journalism. And almost no
one is actively building long-term scenarios for the intersection of news,
technology and democracy.
Executive Summary
The future of news is a popular topic, especially among
journalists. While journalists eagerly discuss the im-
pact of Russian news bots, the maturing artificial in-
telligence ecosystem, and whether or not the current
business models are sustainable, we were curious to
learn how staff within news organizations think about
their own futures, and how their companies are pre-
paring for disruption in their respective markets.
In this first-of-its-kind global survey about how staff
within news organizations think about their futures, we
asked pointed questions about what strategies and tac-
tics are being used to plan for the next 12 months - 20
years. We received survey responses from a wide range
of professionals: CEOs and publishers, managing edi-
tors, chief technology officers and product managers,
financial analysts, strategy officers, human resource
specialists, reporters, editors and on-air news anchors.
Participants hailed from Europe, Asia and Southeast
Asia, Latin America and throughout the United States
and Canada1.
We learned just how far into the future news organiza-
tions are planning. And we uncovered fears and hopes
embedded in today’s newsrooms. Journalists are deep-
ly concerned that they won’t be prepared for new com-
munication technologies, that the business models at
their organizations won’t be relevant much longer, and
1
The survey was distributed globally, however we did not receive responses from anyone in Mexico or Africa.
futuretodayinstitute.com
that they could face technological unemployment, like
many other white-collar workers.
Our research shows that even across geographic
boundaries, there is a clear correlation between age
and futures thinking. Staff who are at the beginning
and end of their careers are more likely to think about
the mid-future and farther-future (5 - 20+ years) of
news. Meanwhile, staff between the ages of 44-64 are
more likely to be “nowists”—that is, they think about
the immediate future (12 months ahead) and the
near-future (1 - 5 years) more than other timeframes.
We found this particularly troubling, because the
nowists—those who are 44-64 years old—tend to be
those managers who are making strategic and opera-
tional decisions that directly affect their companies as
well as the future sustainability of news.
The future of news isn’t subject only to the whims of
Silicon Valley, the volatility of global markets or the
geopolitical balance at a particular moment in time.
Those working within journalism have an opportunity
to shape their own destiny as it evolves. But having a
say in the future of news requires intervention in the
present. Staff must apply future-thinking skills to their
day-to-day operations so that they can hear signals,
identify disruption early and map out possible scenar-
ios for the next 5, 10, 20 and 30 years.
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Future Today Institute

Key Findings

News organization staff between the ages of 44-64 tend to be “nowists,” thinking more about the imme-
diate future (12 months ahead) and the near-future (1 - 5 years) than any other timeframe.
This demographic tends to be the managers who are making strategic and operational decisions that directly
affect their news organizations as well as the future sustainability of news.

However very few staff are thinking about the longer-term future of news in the coming age of AI,
automation and voice-based computing:
53% say they rarely think about the next 10 - 20 years of journalism. 78% say that they never engage in any
longer-term planning and scenario mapping for the future of news.

News organization staff are future-minded, at least when it comes to the very near-term.
Some 75% of participants say that their newsrooms pay attention to tech trends. 63% say that their newsrooms
engage in tech trends analysis at least once a quarter. In contrast, only 18% of the general population say
their companies are tracking and analyzing trends.

Staff are optimistic about the possibilities for the near-term future (12 months - 5 years) of news.

However, only 49% of those surveyed say that their news organization’s leadership is likely to address
their near-term fears.
Participants cited a lack of resources, management bottlenecks, and limited time when it comes to longer-
term strategic foresight and planning.

Thinking beyond 5 years is more rare:

28% of participants say they rarely think about the next 5-10 years of their newsrooms.

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Future Today Institute

Key Findings
Fewer news organizations are tracking the mid-term impact of tech trends (5 - 10 years) on news.
69% say that their newsrooms aren’t conducting analysis on emerging tech trends and how they will impact
news in the next 5 - 10 years.

Longer-term scenario mapping for the future of news is also rare:

The majority of news organizations participating in this survey do not research emerging trends and how they
will impact the news business 5 - 20+ years from today. Only 17% of news organizations engage in longer-term
scenario mapping.

News organization staff are more likely to think about their own personal futures than average Americans.
Some 94% of news organization staff say they think about their personal futures, ranging from a few months to
30+ years into the future. 32% of the general population say they think about mid-futures once a month, while
77% say that they rarely think 30 years into the future.

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
The majority of participating journalists think It’s something that’s on Change is coming from

about the near-future of their newsrooms several my mind more often everywhere. Budget
than not. cuts, new technologies,
times a week or more.
Russian fake news bots.
I think quite often about
all the impact this will
have on our newsroom.

How often do you think about the near-future (12 months - 5 years) of your newsroom?

Rarely

A few times
a month

Weekly

Several times
a week

Daily

0% 50% 100%

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
The majority of staff think about the near-future Most of my thinking is We don’t really have a

(12 months - five years) of their newsrooms sever- informal. process beyond noticing
tech trends and then
al times a week or more.
eventually freaking out
75% reported that their newsrooms research tech about them.
trends, while 63% say that their newsrooms engage in
tech trends analysis at least once a quarter.

However, fewer than 25% say that their newsrooms

take strategic action on tech trends research and
analysis.

How does your newsroom engage in near-futures thinking?

Fringe Sketch

Tech Trends Research

Tech Trends Analysis

Scenario Mapping

Scenario Testing

Strategy Development

Strategy Revision

0% 50% 100%

Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually Never

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
Staff have a range of concerns about the near-future (12 months - 5 years) of news.

49% of those surveyed say that their news organization’s leadership will address their near-term fears.

What worries you most about the near-future of your news organization?

My main concerns are that, within the larger
media ecosystem, newsrooms are not aware of
technological constraints and opportunities. More
specifically, I still sense newsrooms are treading
water, making it hard to swim meaningfully toward
Funding a newsroom is a ‘fringe benefit’ of small
community radio stations, who can do grassroots
groundwork, but may have difficulty paying someone
to do that work.”
- Chad Reich, News Director, KBUT Radio

the future.”

- Jody Brannon, Chief News Evangelist, Bing News

Culture is by far the biggest challenge”

- Thomas Baekdal, Media Analyst

I am most concerned that we will not evolve

quickly or boldly enough, never mind find a new

We live in a golden age of audio. I worry that
global maximum. Even when everyone is committed
we as public radio broadcasters miss the boat.”
to shift the model it is still a scary proposition for all
- Monika Maria Kalcsics, Producer and Commissioning Editor,
involved.”
Public Service Media, Austria
- Joellen Easton, product manager, Bangor Daily News

Keeping pace with new, mass market

distribution mechanisms, while keeping faith with the

audience.”

- John O’Loan, CEO TV WorldNet Ltd

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results

Many are optimistic about opportunities for the

near-term (12 months - 5 years) future of news.

Open-ended question: What are the most urgent opportunities for your newsroom in the next 12 months - 5 years?

Mobile

Virtual Reality

Paywalls

Artificial Intelligence

Staff Turnover

Video

Eliminating Print

Developing New Business Models

Finding a Younger Audience

Increasing Ad Revenue

Strengthening Local Coverage

New Web Features

Improving User Experience

Subscriptions

Customizing Content

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
46% 28%
About half of those surveyed say they think say they think about say they rarely
about the mid-future of newsrooms beyond the mid-future of their think about the next
newsrooms at least 5-10 years of their
five years.
once a week or more. newsrooms.

How often do you think about the mid-future of your newsroom?

(5 years - 10 years from today)

Rarely

A few times
a month

Weekly

Several times
a week

Daily

0% 50% 100%

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
While individual staff are actively thinking about
the mid-future of news, few of their newsrooms
are working on strategy for the next 5 - 10 years.
69% say that their newsrooms aren’t conducting
analysis on emerging tech trends and how they will
impact news in the next 5 - 10 years.
What worries me most about the mid-future of my
news organization is that we were so far behind
a few years ago that we are spending all of our
time and energy catching up. And even though
we’re doing a good job catching up, that doesn’t
leave resources available for planning for the
future. Meanwhile, our competition is spending their
resources on starting to get ahead.”

Only 17% say that their newsrooms engage in mid-

futures scenario mapping at least once a quarter.

How does your newsroom engage in mid-futures thinking?

Fringe Sketch

Tech Trends Research

Tech Trends Analysis

Scenario Mapping

Scenario Testing

Strategy Development

Strategy Revision

0% 50% 100%

Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly Annually Never

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
Fewer staff are optimistic about opportunities for
the mid-term (5 - 10 years) future of news.
41%
of participants answered this open-ended question,
which asked them to list concrete examples of
opportunities in for newsrooms.

Open-ended question: What are the most urgent opportunities for your newsroom in the next 5 - 10 years?

Mobile

Virtual Reality

Paywalls

Artificial Intelligence

Staff Turnover

Video

Eliminating Print

Developing New Business Models

Finding a Younger Audience

Increasing Ad Revenue

Strengthening Local Coverage

Improving User Experience

New Kinds of Subscriptions

AR

Big Data

Non-English News

Bots

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
53%
Few staff ever think about the farther-future of the say they rarely think Staff aged
news media business and journalism. about the next 10 - 20 30 and younger
years of journalism. are more likely to think
about the farther-future
of news at least once a
month.

How often do you think about the farther-future of the news media business?
(10 - 20 years from today)

Rarely

A few times
a month

Weekly

Several times
a week

Daily

0% 50% 100%

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
Staff who are thinking about the farther-future of It worries me to think how Trump is right. If
news have a range of concerns. newspapers are run like this small town American

paper I work for (ten years now, never missing a

What worries you most about the farther-future of the
news media business? deadline, part-time, netting $250 a week—making

less than minimum wage by the time of my supplies,

mileage, etc.—and no benefits) and spit-coating

That news literacy will be so far gone, facts will
everything, why bother to have them?”
be irrelevant and all news will be partisan. We need to
- Senior Reporter for a newspaper on the East Coast
be actively teaching news literacy inside and outside

the industry. It needs to be a vital part of schooling.”

- Summer Moore, Digital and Audience Engagement Editor,
If organizations can see beyond competition
The Times of Northwest Indiana
to embrace collaboration (and avoid duplication of

efforts and especially pack journalism), there might

Not enough post-entry level positions with be hope for the survival of our watchdog purpose in

opportunities for training rather than expecting society.”

everyone to have all the technical skills already.” - Jody Brannon, Chief News Evangelist, Bing News

- Politics reporter with a news organization on the East Coast

The next 10 to 20 years however will all depend

Not only that my company may not exist, but upon the immediate future, which we are not yet

that the way journalism is conducted and distributed able to confidently predict, other than to say there

will further short circuit the ability of regular people — will always be a need for accurate and reliable

especially those who aren’t savvy about how to seek journalism (if even by some other name). The present

vetted and reported information proactively — to be problem is to find an economic model, stemming

informed.” from available means of distribution, which allows

- Product Manager at a news organization on the East Coast access to high quality reporting and distribution.”

- John O’Loan, CEO TV WorldNet Ltd

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results

While staff do not necessarily think about the
farther-future of news, they do think about their
personal futures often, and they use a variety of
digital tools.
They do think about their personal futures often,
and they use a variety of digital tools.
Tools the staff use to think about their own futures
include:

94% say they think about their personal futures, • Bullet Journal
ranging from a few months to 30+ years into the future.
• Evernote

The highest concentration of futures thinking, about • Excel

42%, was reported for 1-5 years.
• Reporter’s Notebook
Only 14% say they think about their lives 15 or more
• Mind mapping software
years into the future.

When you think about your own future, how far out do you typically go?

A few months

A year

1-3 years

3-5 years

5-10 years

10-15 years

15-20 years

20-30 years

30+ years

I really don’t spend time...

0% 50% 100%

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results
19% Only 5%
In partnership with Ipsos, we surveyed the gener- say that they don’t say that they think
al population to learn how Americans think about spend time thinking about their futures
the future. The average American does not spend about the future of their beyond 20 years.
very much time thinking about the future of her/ fields. Of those who do
his company or industry.
think about the future

of their industries, the

majority focus on a

timeframe of 1 - 5 years.

When you think about the future of your profession or industry, how far out do you
tend to think?

A few months

A year

1-3 years

3-5 years

5-10 years

10-15 years

15-20 years

20-30 years

30+ years

I really don’t spend time...

0% 50% 100%

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results

There is a strong correlation between a major life event and the likelihood of news organization staff
thinking about the future of news.

Staff who have experienced a major life event—becoming a parent or grandparent, a traumatic event
(including job loss or workplace disruption), or dealing with a serious illness (either personally or via a close
loved one)—were more likely to think about the future of news throughout the week.

When thinking about the future, those who experienced a major life event tend to think longer-term.

Of participants who have experienced a major life event, 81% report feeling generally optimistic on a day-to-
day basis.

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Future Today Institute

Survey Results

For average Americans, race, marital status and education level had little effect on how likely they are
to think about the future of the industries in which they work.

Those without a college degree tracked nearly identically when asked about how far into the future they think.

Those without a college degree were 1.7 times more likely to report that they don’t spend any time thinking
about the future of their industry at all.

There are regional differences in how far out Americans think about their own personal futures.

Midwesterners are more likely to think only 1-3 years into the future, while those in the West think 3-5 years ahead.

Southerners think 5-10 years into the future. Americans in the Northeast project out the farthest: 15-20 years.

How often Americans think about the future (daily, a few times a week, monthly, a few times a year)
didn’t vary significantly by region.

When asked how often they think about something that might happen, or something they might do, at least 10
years from the present, a fifth of Americans say a few times a year. However a third of Americans say they rarely,
if ever, think that far ahead.

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Future Today Institute

Disclaimer

The Global Survey on Journalism’s Futures relies

on data, analysis and modeling from electronical-
ly-distributed surveys. This report is available on
FTI’s website and, if needed, will be updated occa-
sionally.

FTI advises hundreds of companies and organiza-

tions. FTI does not own any equity position in any
of the entities listed in this presentation.

Any trademarks or service marks used in this re-

port are the marks of their respective owners and
who do not endorse the statements in this report.
All rights in marks are reserved by their respective
owners. We disclaim any and all warranties, ex-
press or implied, with respect to this report.

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Future Today Institute

Contact Information

The Future Today Institute

hello@futuretodayinstitute.com

267-342-4300

www.futuretodayinstitute.com

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