Willnat journalism study to commence in January

The American Journalist study, a representative, decennial survey of American journalism and its practitioners, will commence again in January 2022.

The most comprehensive survey of its kind, this fifth edition will invite more than 6,000 reporters, editors, producers, and other full-time journalists to contribute to a representative sample of print, television, radio, and online newsrooms from across the United States.

The study is funded by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the John Ben Snow Foundation. It is led by Dr. Lars Willnat, who also co-authored the most recent version of the survey, “The American Journalist in the Digital Age.”

“The American Journalist in the Digital Age” documented significant changes in U.S. journalism, including a dramatic decline in the size of the journalism workforce, increases in the proportions of women and minorities employed in newsrooms, and changes in job satisfaction. It also won the 2017 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for research about the profession.

The 2022 survey will examine journalists’ perceptions of their professional roles, their trust in the practices and functions of American journalism, and their thoughts on how traditional media organizations can support democracy.