The [Poor] State of our Fourth Estate

Journalists across the country and around the world have watched their industry crumble in recent decades. The decline in the news market became un-ignorable for the general public. In 2022, U.S. newspapers were dying at a rate of two per week, and things have not slowed down. 

Large corporations like Gannett and Sinclair bought newspapers and broadcast stations across the country, laying off reporters and editors in swathes. Even outlets like Canada Broadcasting Corporation cut 10% of their workforce in 2023. 17,436 journalism jobs were lost nation-wide in the United States in the first six months of 2023. 

Newsroom employees at the same time consistently earn less than other college-educated workers across the United States and being a reporter– both for print and broadcast– is consistently ranked among the worst jobs in the nation. With low pay and stressful working conditions, many reporters have opted to switch out of their field.

Meanwhile, audiences trust the information in the media less and less, partly as a result of the discontent between media publications and the communities they cover. One in five newsroom employees live in New York, Los Angeles or Washington, D.C. and despite the U.S. population only being about 59.3% non-hispanic white people, they make up 76% of newsrooms. Men make up 61% of newsrooms despite making up only about 49.5% of the general population.