Who are the Spanish journalists? Professional profisles and changesin the profession

Abstract

This study analyzes the current socio-demographic and labor profile of Spanish journalists, as well as perceived changes they view to their profession, based on results obtained in a representative survey of 390 Spanish journalists between March 1, 2014 and May 30, 2015 performed as part of the Worlds of Journalism Study project. Our findings show that the average Spanish journalist is a man in his late thirties with advanced university degrees in communications or journalism who has been working in the profession for over fifteen years. The results show that job insecurity is commonly viewed as an issue in the profession, as are hierarchical and salary differences with respect to gender. The relevance of audiences and the perceived influence of economic difficulties on the media are among the most important changes experienced by journalists in Spain in recent years.