Something must be done about discontent bared by journalists

Their well-being is important but a survey reveals gloom among many of them over the future of media and their careers

- Sanjay Kumar & Jyoti Mishra

The media industry in India, often referred to as the fourth pillar of democracy, is facing significant challenges. A recent survey conducted among 206 journalists from various media platforms and language backgrounds across genders sheds light on the prevailing pessimism, dissatisfaction and financial constraints that are impacting their profession. This article examines the findings of that survey and delves into the underlying factors contributing to the growing disillusionment among journalists.

Pessimistic picture: The survey results paint a worrisome picture of the media industry in India, with journalists expressing some degree of dissatisfaction with the standards of journalism and pessimism about new media, especially news channels. When journalists were asked about their optimism or pessimism over the independence of news media—specifically news channels, newspapers and online news websites—five years from now, they expressed more pessimism over the future of news channels, with nearly two-fifths (43%) being very pessimistic.