Friday, July 15, 2011

#ukjournopay New study: How are journalists being rewarded?

There's been a lot of talk about the financial health of the journalism industry (Summary: diagnosis - poor; prognosis -mixed). And there's been quite a bit of discussion (and some research ) about the experiences of journalists who have left or been forced out of their jobs.

But what about those staying behind? Just how are UK journalists, who face increasing demands, being rewarded?

After Jim Oldfied, the striking editor of the South Yorkshire Times, revealed in an NUJ meeting reported on by Jon Slattery & HTFP, that his annual pay after 37 years in journalism is £25,500, I figured it's time to take a closer look.

To that end, I'm conducting an online survey of the pay of UK journalists. If you're a fulltime, part-time, contract or freelance journalist working for a UK newspaper, magazine, broadcaster or online news site, please take 10 minutes to complete this survey.

While all answers will remain anonymous, I will be happy to send you a copy of the report if you add contact details, which will be held separately and never passed on.

Of course, if you have any questions or suggestions for this study, please don't hesitate to be in touch. And any efforts to spread the word about the #ukjournopay research would be very much appreciated.

Related: In case you're interested, my 2010 report, Laidoff: What do UK journalists do next?, is available here.