Changes in Professionalism of U.S. Journalists in the Turbulent Twenty-First Century

A panel study of 400 U.S. journalists assessed changes in indicators of professionalism between 2002 and 2007, a period of significant economic and technological turmoil for news organizations. Findings show that professional organization membership declined among journalists, and staff cutbacks and higher workloads posed threats to the autonomy of some news workers. Beliefs about professional roles shifted slightly, with more emphasis on analyzing problems and being adversaries of public officials. Finally, journalists became more ethically cautious during the five-year span of the study, a period in which ethical lapses were disclosed by several high-profile news organizations.