“Too Much Stress” for “Too Little Reward”: COVID-19 Effects on Reporter’s Workloads and Work/Life Balance

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged historic precepts for local American television news. Reporters were suddenly working from home, often alone, dealing with new health safety protocols, and covering a grim and frightening new reality. Seeking an understanding of this sudden and dramatic shift in the ways in which local television news was reported, researchers conducted in-depth interviews during summer 2021 with 20 local television reporters from large, medium, and small Nielsen designated marketing areas (DMA) across the U.S. about their experiences during the pandemic. Thematic analysis revealed changes in reporters’ workloads, burnout, and a lack of work/life balance that may lead to changes in the ways in which reporters gather and produce news and interact with their colleagues and audiences.