A recent poll of journalists at the annual Oriella digital journalism study found that journalists are not quite as pessimistic as last year, reports the Guardian. The poll, which interviewed 770 journalists in 15 countries, including the US, Brazil, and several European countries, reported on the changing attitudes of journalists. While the interview did show that journalists working in traditional mediums (newspaper, radio, television) were facing increasing pressure, the journalists interviewed were overall optimistic, with only 14% believing that the total number of media outlets would shrink.

Of the pessimistic attitudes, 44% of journalists said they felt that print media would shrink dramatically. Moreover, journalists predicted that lack of online profits would lead to a decrease in the quality of their journalism and they also predicted that advertising would fall another 10% this year. Overall, journalists felt they were facing a year of increased pressure and longer hours.

Moreover, journalists reported that they were using videos, blogs, and discussion boards less due to budget cuts and increased pressure.

But the results of the poll were certainly not all doom and gloom, with 40% of journalists saying that the web offers new opportunities for journalists. Smartphones were shown to be increasingly important to publishers as 30% were considering paid-access websites and 22% considering smartphone apps.

In spite of increasing pressure, 79% of those polled believed that the quality of their work has not suffered in light of digital media and 84% said they saw digital media as an aid to their work, rather than a threat.

While digital media is frequently thought to have presented journalism with baffling (and possibly incurable) problems, the optimistic attitude of these journalists could represent a turning point in the struggle with online media. As journalists adapt to the new medium of news reporting they will hopefully be able to use it more efficiently. Although the changes do mean longer hours, hopefully journalists will continue to be up to the challenge as digital media evolves.

Oriella's complete report can be found here.

Sources: The Guardian, Oriella