The second book from the New Beats project has been published by Routledge. Journalists and Job Loss, which was edited by a team of researchers led by Tim Marjoribanks, explores the profound disruption of journalism work in the 21st century’s networked digital media environment.
The chapters analyse how journalists have experienced and navigated job loss, re-employment, career change and career re-invention as traditional patterns of newsroom employment give way to occupational change, income insecurity and precarious work in journalism globally. As well as showcasing key findings from the New Beats project in Australia, the book examines related case studies of job loss and career change in journalism based on research in different national settings. These include the US, Canada, Indonesia, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, the UK, and Portugal. A striking feature of these country studies are the similar kinds of experiences journalists faced no matter where they were from, as they grappled with the changes wrought by digital disruption. The book also considers the wider implications of changes in journalism work for media sustainability, gender equity, and journalism work futures.
The book developed following a symposium held in Melbourne in June 2018, which included an event at the Melbourne Press Club featuring journalists and researchers Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Finland and Australia.