Global Tech Survey to Explore Urgent Challenges Facing Journalists in Digital Age

By: ICFJ | 02/20/2019

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) today launched a benchmark global survey that will yield unprecedented data on how news organizations are adapting to the digital age. The initiative, a follow-up to the first State of Technology in Global Newsrooms report in 2017, will dive deeper into how the industry is using technology to combat misinformation, build trust and diversify revenue sources.  

Three journalists at computer
The 2019 survey will build on earlier findings, tracking changes in newsrooms across eight regions. Credit: Ismail Pohan

This second survey will reveal which regions are making the most progress or lagging behind in the adoption of new technologies over the past two years. The study, made possible by the generous support of Google News Initiative and Fusion, ultimately will inform efforts to close the digital gap facing the industry.

The 2017 survey was available in 12 languages, but the 2019 survey has two more languages--Hindi and Urdu--to better reflect trends on the Indian subcontinent. 

ICFJ is asking newsroom managers and journalists in eight regions of the world for their expertise. The survey takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and respondents could win a $100 Amazon gift card. All responses will be confidential, and no individuals or organizations will be identified. The data collected will be reported in the aggregate, and made widely available. 

Journalists and newsroom managers, click one of the languages below to take the survey:

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu

The inaugural study, which surveyed more than 2,700 journalists and newsrooms managers, revealed that despite great strides, journalists are not keeping pace with technology. Some highlights: 

  • Journalists are using a limited range of digital skills. Of the 23 skills surveyed in the study, only four are used regularly to produce stories in more than half of newsrooms worldwide.
  • Newsrooms are not doing enough to secure their communication. Despite their reliance on digital communications, less than half of media professionals use encryption.
  • A gap exists between the digital skills journalists want and what their newsrooms provide. Nearly half of global newsrooms provide training in social media research and verification, but only 22% of journalists find it valuable. 

For more information, please contact Fatima Bahja, ICFJ research and proposal coordinator, at 202-349-7638 or fbahja@icfj.org. You can view the full report from the 2017 study, and see highlights on Medium. Visit our Visualizer to explore the survey data and compare results across regions.
 

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The State of Technology in Global Newsrooms
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