Media Release
July 3 2007
Journalists’ anxiety may affect news reporting and analysis
Increased
mobility, the breakneck speed of communications, and the pressure to
produce news in shorter and shorter time frames, is creating high levels
of anxiety among journalists and affecting their reporting and analysis.
Speaking at the Mobile Media Conference in Sydney this week Dr Collette Snowden from the University of South Australia’s School of Communication explained how the combination of new mobile technologies, higher levels of information availability, shorter response times and faster speeds of distribution were increasing levels of anxiety in journalists.
“While there is definitely a buzz about working in the 24/7 news cycle, journalists reported that ‘always on’ communication technologies contributed to an almost permanent state of anxiety,” Dr Snowden said.
“One consequence is that the emotional characteristics of anxiety can be transferred to the production of news so that it becomes more frenetic, more frantic and sometimes even hysterical.
“This development leads audiences to question the veracity of many news reports and may contribute to the loss of authority and credibility of the news media.”
In her study Dr Snowden combined interviews and surveys to assess the impact of modern communications technologies in the news environment on 150 Australian media professionals.
Journalists reported that the pressure of answering and responding to
mobile phone calls and being available 24 hours a day had increased
workplace stress.
“But even journalists working in less time pressured positions, such a
weekly or monthly magazine production, reported that they felt pressure
to be available, to know everything that was happening and to be able to
respond immediately,” Dr Snowden said.
And while most journalists recognised the value of mobile communications technology, she found they were ambivalent about it.
“They cited the most problematic aspect of the use of mobile communications technology was the constant need to be available, but they were also concerned that it had limited their capacity to interview people face to face,” she said.
“With more reporting done remotely many journalists said they were frustrated by being office-bound and being required to do desk-based research and rely more and more on telephone interviewing.”
Dr Snowden said the profession had significant challenges in relation
to the use and integration of new mobile technologies, which were
unavoidable, but most significantly that the impact of workplace stress
and anxiety associated with the technology had to be recognised and
managed.
Contact for interview
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Dr Collette Snowden mobile 0414 769 382 email collette.snowden@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
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Michèle Nardelli office (08) 8302 0966 mobile 0418 823 673
email michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au