Poll Finds Most U.S. Journalists Won't Trade Their Jobs For Something Else

Journalists face harassment, fight against misinformation, and are keenly aware of the industry’s financial troubles and the dim view many Americans have of them. Despite all that, most love their jobs and wouldn’t trade it for something else, David Bauder reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Despite all the risks and pains that come with being a journalist, most love their jobs and wouldn’t trade it for something else.

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of almost 12,000 journalists on Tuesday, June 14, and announced the results on Tuesday. “To me, that’s a fascinating juxtaposition,” Amy Mitchell, Pew's head of journalism research, said. “They get it. They feel the struggle. They understand the public’s feelings toward them. But they love it. They’re proud of their work.”

Pew's findings are based on a countrywide, online poll of 11,889 journalists conducted between February 16 and March 17, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1%.

According to Pew, when asked to define their sector in a single word, 72 percent of journalists used adjectives like "struggling," "chaos," "partisan," "difficult," and "stressful." When journalists were asked to choose one word to define the news industry in the eyes of the general people, only 3% chose a good word.

The most often used words were "inaccurate," "untrustworthy," "biased," and "partisan."

More than three-quarters of journalists (77%) indicated they would pursue a career in journalism if they had the chance to do it all over again. Three-quarters of journalists over the age of 65 think their employment improves their mental well-being, however, this number drops for those under 65.

Years of attacks by ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters have taken their toll. Journalists have a more positive view of their job than the people they report for, according to a companion poll of American adults in general.

For example, 67 percent of journalists believe they do a very or somewhat good job covering the most important stories, compared to 41 percent of the general public. Most journalists (65%) believe news organizations do a good job of reporting accurately, whereas only 35% of the general public believes this.

According to Pew, 42 percent of journalists have been harassed or threatened in the last year, mostly online. Sixteen percent of women reported sexual harassment from someone outside their organization.

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