Posted on 07/11/2013 6:27:33 PM PDT by markomalley
In a Pew survey of Americans’ attitudes about occupations, journalists suffered the worst fall in the last four years while the military maintained its top position. Also interesting, and worth pondering for those in the national news who constantly harp on the GOP for its outreach to women, journalists seem to have a serious woman problem:
Compared with the ratings four years ago, journalists have dropped the most in public esteem. The share of the public saying that journalists contribute a lot to society is down 10 percentage points, from 38% in 2009 to 28% in 2013. The drop is particularly pronounced among women (down 17 points). About as many U.S. adults now say journalists contribute “not very much” or “nothing at all” to society (27%) as say they contribute a lot (28%).
Down 17 points among women over four years? Even Mitt Romney couldn’t come close to pulling that off. In seriousness, what caused the precipitous drop-off? There seems to be a very good opportunity for someone to figure this out and serve at least some of this currently poorly served market. Political news attracts a more male audience, in general, but maybe general news coverage just isn’t addressing economic worries women are facing or isn’t telling those stories in a way that appeals to them. Allow me to hope, for the sake of my gender, that the answer isn’t more Jody Arias-style coverage.
Not mentioned in the Pew story, but interesting and counterintuitive given the near-constant narrative of the last four years: business executive is the only occupation whose score went up since 2009. Granted, it’s only three points, from a paltry 21 percent who believe they contribute a lot to 24 percent, and it still resides near the bottom of the list, but it is curious that’s the one occupation trending upward as the last four years have taken a toll on every other category.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say the profession of journalism is in serious danger of becoming a rump, regional profession, losing ground across all demographic groups and ending up a stale relic of a bygone era. Perhaps the GOP should be urging journalism’s rebranding as urgently as journalism is pushing the GOP’s. The GOP could even teach journalism a thing or two about keeping the 50+ crowd happy. Journalism lost ground across all age groups:
The decline in public views about journalists’ contribution to society since 2009 is more pronounced among women than men. Roughly three-in-ten women (29%) say journalists contribute a lot to society’s well-being, down 17 percentage points from 46% in 2009. Men’s views on this are about the same today as they were in 2009.
The decline in the perceived contribution of journalists cuts across partisan leanings, age and education level. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents as well as Republicans and Republican-leaning independents all are less likely to say journalists contribute a lot to society’s well-being today (down 8 points among Republicans/leaning Republicans and 10 points among Democrats/leaning Democrats).
And, yes, I know I’m a media person in or near the journalism realm, and I’m happy to take my lumps. I think it’s healthy for a profession, especially one customarily pumped full of save-the-world propaganda during its professional training, to have to evaluate just how valuable it is to its fellow citizens and perhaps change its behavior accordingly.
The military reigns supreme, with teachers and doctors close behind, and lawyers taking the bottom slot:
Americans continue to hold the military in high regard, with more than three-quarters of U.S. adults (78%) saying that members of the armed services contribute “a lot” to society’s well-being. That’s a modest decline from 84% four years ago, the last time the Pew Research Center asked the public to rate various professions. But the military still tops the list of 10 occupational groups, followed closely by teachers, medical doctors, scientists and engineers. A solid majority of the public says each of those occupations contributes a lot to society.
I wonder if the answer would have been different if the question had been about teachers unions?
Gee, what do you know? The journalists are the Marxists behind the Marxist, spinning the spin, painting the sepulchre white, spreading the lies throughout the land. What’s not to love?
journalism no longer exists, like the Edsel. I challenge you to show me one that is still working.
the problem is there arent very many actual journalists out there but there are thousands of sycophantic poseurs
How can we hate that which no longer exists?
What journalists? We have the following categories:
1. Partisan left-wing hacks who consider it their duty to spread socialism to America.
2. Stupid people who are on TV because of their looks or their ability to read from a Teleprompter without stumbling.
3. People who are both 1 and 2.
What’s to like?
How about the JournOlists? That group is off the cliff wacko and easy to hate.
They all are trying to incite a riot. Aren’t there laws against that?
Yes, but chances are they are federal laws. Which means Eric Holder would have to ok any charges. Which would work against what he’s set in motion.
Hate, I’ll continue to suggest, is the wrong term for the emotion.
I do not hate journalists.
Because I am holding out for a word containing orders of magnitude more revulsion.
(Real journalists excepted, of course. Both of you.)
A shrinking market for leftist extremist propaganda? That may explain why the raw volume of the stuff has been increasing so dramatically: desperation.
No surprise regarding the overall decline in satisfaction. Interesting the business execs got a bump.
Jennifer Griffin and Catherine Herridge of Fox are definitely both still working.
They are the reporters who dug out what little we know of what really happened in Benghazi and back here at home in the hours, days and weeks afterward.
Did they get it all? Do they know everything? No...but they keep at it against all odds and in the face of disapproval and contempt from virtually all their colleagues.
Justifiably.
i doubt i would even join up now, certainly wouldn't last for a career.
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