Journalists‘ Characteristics and Attitudes

Some Data from Empirical Studies

Siegfried Weischenberg
Lusaka/Zambia, Nov. 2010
Content

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

2
Chapter A

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

3
 What do you think
about journalism in
Germany?

4
What the Germans think about journalism in Germany

STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES

 Influential  Possibility of manipulation

 Free system  Tabloidization

 Self-observation of society  Losing awareness through

mainly new media opportunities,
 Creating publicity e.g. Google News

 Ideally changing the world  Instrumentalization, e.g. for

marketing or PR purposes

5
Appreciation of jobs in the population (in percent)

6
Chapter B

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

7
 For which media and in
which departments do
they work?

8
Editorial units by media (in percent)

9
Proportion of journalists by media (in percent)

10
Proportion of free journalists by media (in percent)

11
Journalists‘ allocation to departments (in percent)

12
Journalists‘ allocation to departments (in percent)

13
Summary: Where they are – Work Places

• Majority works for magazine and newspaper departments

• Online media are increasing tremendously

• Free journalists rather in TV/Radio than in newspaper, magazine or advertiser

departments

• Majority works in local, politics, culture or economy departments

14
Chapter C

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

15
 How can a typical
German journalist
be described?

16
Proportion of females by media (in percent)

17
Proportion of females by position (in percent)

18
Journalists‘ age groups (in percent)

19
Journalists‘ age groups by gender (in percent)

20
Journalists‘ income groups (in percent)

21
Journalists‘ average (net) income by media

22
Journalists‘ average (net) income by employment

23
Journalists‘ average (net) income by position

24
Journalists‘ average (net) income by gender

25
Journalists‘ education (in percent)

26
Journalists‘ majors (in percent)

27
Highest educational level (in percent)

28
Journalists‘ parents jobs (in percent)

29
Journalists‘ party affinity (in percent)

30
Journalists‘ party affinity by gender (in percent)

31
Journalists without party affinity by age groups (in percent)

32
Summary: Who they are – Characteristics and Attitudes

A typical German journalist:

• Is about 40 years old

• Has an university degree ( often in language, literature or communication studies)

• Is allocated in the middle-class

• Is living in a relationship

• Has a net income 2.200 Euro (monthly)

• Has done an internship

• Has employed parents

• Its political affinity is: Die Grünen, SPD or none

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Chapter D

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

34
 How do German
journalists work?

35
Duration of journalistic activities (in minutes per day)

36
Frequency of how often own articles are contrared or collected

37
Levels of contrareading (in percent)

38
Job satisfaction (in percent)

39
Summary: How they work – Activities and Satisfaction

Activities:

• Internet activities are increasing

• Most of the time is spend on research and production of own texts

• Texts are almost always contrared, mostly by direct supervisors

Satisfaction:
• Mostly satisfied with colleagues and possibility to arrange time flexible
• Less satisfied with career and trainee opportunities and daily workload

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Chapter E

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

41
 How do German
journalists see their
job?

42
Acceptance of self-image (in percent)

43
Role implementation (in percent)

44
Acceptance of self-image (in percent)

45
Role implementation (in percent)

46
Acceptance of self-image (in percent)

47
Role implementation (in percent)

48
Journalistic role model Germany and USA (in percent)

49
Summary: What they want – Self-Image and Reality

• Informing objectively (mostly in reality)

• Explaning complex topics (mostly in reality)

• Criticising grievances (less than wanted in reality)

• Giving usual people possibility to publish their opinion (mostly in reality)

• Identifying trends/Guiding (less than wanted, instead more entertainment and

recreation)

Main difference to USA:

• Want to controll areas like politics, economics and society much more and are
less interested in offering news which are relevant for a wide audience

But:

• are almost as much interested in explaning and communicationg quickly as in

Germany

50
Chapter F

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

51
 Which sources do
German journalists
use?

52
Attribution of PR-influence by media (in percent)

53
Attribution of PR-influence by department (in percent)

54
Journalists who have received comments from PR branches in the
last weeks by media (in percent)

55
Agreement to statements about press releases (in percent)

56
Top 10 of regulary used print media (in percent)

57
Top 10 of regulary used TV news (in percent)

58
Summary: Public Relations and Leading media

• High attribution to PR influence in magazines, news agencies, advertisers

and newspapers

• Especially in the departments society, local and without department

• Mainly magazines and news agencies receive comments from PR

branches

• Too many press releases are being produced, but provide inspiration for
new reports

59
Chapter A

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

60
 How are German
journalists linked up
to society?

61
Attribution of a rather or very big influence on journalistic work
(in percent)

62
Feedback: Journalists who have received reactions or comments
on their work (in percent)

63
Attribution of a rather or very big influence on journalistic work (in
percent)

64
Journalists closer private circle of friends (in percent)

65
Top 20 jobs of journalists‘ 3 closest friends (in percent)

66
Journalists as journalists‘ closest friends (in percent)

67
Attribution of a rather or very big influence on journalistic work (in
percent)

68
Estimation of audience‘s age (in percent)

69
Estimation of audience‘s income level (in percent)

70
Estimation of audience‘s level of education (in percent)

71
Estimation of audience‘s influence (in percent)

72
Estimation of audience‘s social attitude (in percent)

73
Estimation of audience‘s political attitude (in percent)

74
Estimation of audience‘s political interest (in percent)

75
Estimation of audience‘s interest in information and entertainment
(in percent)

76
Journalists information about the audience (in percent)

77
Summary: What they conform with – People and Power

• Mediaintern influence is very big and many friends are journalists aswell

• Mediaextern influence is moderate, mostly from Public Relations

• Feedback comes mainly from direct supervisors, own company and audience

• Journalists have different possibilities to gain information about the audience

• In general journalists assume that their audience is middle as concerns

•age,

•income,

•political attitude,

•influence and social attitude

• but older

•and interested in information and entertainment

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Chapter H

A. State of Journalism in Germany

B. Work Places

C. Characteristics and Attitudes

D. Activities and Satisfaction

E. Self-Image and Reality

F. Public Relations and Leading Media

G. People and Power

H. Methods and Morals

79
 Which investigation
methods do German
journalists use?

80
Agreement to research methods (in percent)

81
Agreement to research methods (in percent)

82
Agreement to research methods in Germany and USA (in percent)

83
What they allow themselves – Methods and Morals

Maybe justified:

• Using confidental governmental documents

• Smuggling into a company

Not justified:

• Using private documents without confirmation

• Paying people for confidental information

Main difference to USA:

• Putting pressure on informants to get information and using private materials

withour confirmation may be justified

84
Academic Book about Journalism in Germany

Siegfried Weischenberg, Maja Malik and

Armin Scholl (2006):

The Prompters of the Media Society

(in German: Die Souffleure der

Mediengesellschaft). Wiesbaden, VS Verlag
für Sozialwissenschaften.

85
 International Journalism in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg –
for Democratization and the Peoples’ Dialogue

86