Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Have journalism jobs declined significantly over the past 20 years?
Sunday, March 28, 2021
By Gus Fisher
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YES
More than 25% of U.S. newspapers have shut down since 2004, according to a University of North Carolina study, and many others have cut payrolls in respond to continuing declines in print advertising and circulation revenues. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of total newspaper jobs (including all roles, not just news gathering) decreased to 174,000 from 412,000 between the years 2001 and 2016.
Pew Research Center reported an overall 23% decrease in journalism jobs between 2008 and 2019. This decline was primarily attributed to the print news sector, which saw a 51% decrease from 71,000 to 35,000 jobs since 2008. TV, radio and online news saw a 9% increase from 43,000 to 53,000 jobs during the same period.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for Media Law and Policy: Addressing the decline of local news, rise of platforms, and spread of mis- and disinformation online
Bureau of Labor Statistics Newspaper publishers lose over half their employment from January 2001 to September 2016
Pew Research Center US newspapers have shed half of their newsroom employees since 2008
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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