APME survey: 75% of US editors confirm that shrinking newsrooms are affecting the quality of their journalism

The Associated Press' business writer, Michael Liedtke who penned the article, made the following observation: "APME surveys typically elicit a smattering of responses to very specific questions about a topic in the news. But this one clearly touched a nerve as it sought to find out how newspaper management is coping with a downturn that has wiped out $11.6 billion, or nearly one-fourth, of the industry's annual advertising revenue since 2005."

More concretely, 30.2% of those questioned said that staff cutbacks had "greatly affected" the quality of their journalism, not a meagre amount by any stretch of the imagination. Even 41.1% admitted that output had become "somewhat effected," even if these editors did not "lose sleep over it." Only 8.8% said they had not yet made any changes to payroll.

Interestingly (though unsurprisingly), while many editors acknowledged the importance of innovating and reinventing their newsrooms, in a question where editors were invited to "check all that apply," 57.5% of editors said they just did not have the necessary funds to implement such changes. A lack of skills, technology and too much bureaucracy were also considered to be major factors. 

As well as dwindling budgets, editors also have to deal with staff who remain unconvinced about multimedia journalism, as one comment goes: "Not all journalists are excited about the new tools and opportunities we have." While another comment hints that snobbery might be behind such attitudes: "There are still some who look with disdain upon reporting the news using methods other than print. There are fewer of those folks, but they still exist."

One editor accepts that much is being asked of young journalists new to the field: "A transition to the digital format will require use of new technology, and thus training in the use of that technology. This quickly can become onerous. We need to craft a way to introduce, for example, digital video that doesn't overwhelm a reporter, and eventually makes their work more productive, if not easier. We're expecting a wide-ranging set of skills, considering the entry-level wages being offered."

Answering the question "Please describe how reductions in staffing have affected the quality of your journalism." Many editors were uneasy about the resulting consequences, with the general consensus being that remaining staff were being overworked, which in turn, was having an adverse effect on the quality of the journalism; one editor said: "We've cut the number of reporters, which inevitably hurts the product."

Also worth a mention is the 39.8% which - once again, checking all that apply - said that "going hyper-local in print and cutting more national and world news" was a top priority.

For the majority of local newspapers in the US, persistently focussing their reporting efforts on community-specific information is a main concern, with editors convinced that this will make them best placed to meet the needs of their readers and limit the effects of the recession. A recent Editors Weblog article compared the state of local papers in America and Britain and found that local British news titles were not faring quite as well as their American counterparts, although this study does dispell the notion that smaller newspapers are managing to "dodge the downturn," as it had been claimed.

One of the most striking things about the APME survey was not just the admission by many editors that the quality of their journalism is taking a knocking, but that staff morale is, naturally, low.

Following reports that BBC News had decided to axe their Paris-based correspondent along with other cuts totalling £155 million, Helen Boaden, the BBC's news director said that she did not forsee the cutbacks harming the quality of the corporation's news production. Perhaps Boaden's broadcasting budget - despite the cuts - means the BBC will, indeed, be spared. In any case, no newsrooms, whether broadcasting or print, should underestimate the effects that such reductions have on staff morale. As the editor of a rural twice-weekly in America's Midwest put it: "That's the most difficult thing right now ... Not sure we have a strategy for motivating the staff."  


Sources: SF Gate.com , APME
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