News Nerd Survey
Complete Results | 2022
Table of contents
Table of contents
Slide #:
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About the survey
The 2022 survey builds on prior OpenNews research commissioned in 2016 and 2017 (the News Nerd Census) - which produced a snapshot of perspectives on the field of journalism, as well as an anonymized data set that journalists and technologists found useful.
This year's survey is designed to gather new data on how the field of journalism is evolving, as well as who makes up the news nerd community and other groups served by OpenNews. The survey also explores what makes the OpenNews community valuable, and where there is the greatest potential for OpenNews to make an impact.
About the survey
2022 Survey fielded:
2022 Survey sent to:
Total Respondents:
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Complete Survey Results� for 2022
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Respondent Demographics
Q. What is your age range? (n=596)
Age
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Gender
Q. How do you currently describe your gender identity? (n=594)
Respondent Demographics
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LGBTQ+ community
Q. Do you consider yourself a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Queer (LGBTQ+) community? (n=594)
Respondent Demographics
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Identify as a person with a disability or accessibility needs
Q. Do you identify as a person with a disability or as a person with accessibility needs? (n=596)
Respondent Demographics
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Race/Ethnicity
Q. How would you describe your racial/ethnic identity? (Please check all that apply.) (n=594)
Respondent Demographics
Respondents checked all that applied.
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Country of Residence
Q. In what country do you live? (n=589)
Respondent Demographics
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Distribution of respondents in the United States
Q. If you live in the United States of America, what is your 5-digit zip code? (n=501)
Respondent Demographics
Top 10 DMAs
New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Philadelphia
Dallas- Fort Worth
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
Atlanta
Houston
Washington DC
Boston
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Job Information
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Tenure in journalism or related field
Q. How many years have you been affiliated with or working in journalism or a journalism related field? (n=595)
Job Information
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Primary Work
Q. What best describes the primary work that you do? (Please choose up to three.) (n=603)
Job Information
Respondents chose up to three.
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Management role
Q. Are you in a management role where one or more employees directly reports to you? (n=597)
Job Information
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Salary
Q. How much do you earn in your current role/position? (n=597)
Job Information
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Employment status
Q. Which of the following best describes you? (n=596)
Job Information
Other responses:
Status | ON survey Combined | PEW survey | State of Data Journalism |
Full time | 83% | 81% | 28% |
Part time | 2% | 19% | 5% |
Freelancer | 13% | 28% | 20% |
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Employer organization type
Q. Where do you work? (Please check all that apply.) (n=591)
Job Information
Other responses:
Respondents checked all that applied.
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Newsroom union
Q. Are you in a newsroom union? (n=580)
Job Information
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Reason for leaving news or media jobs
Q. If you left a job at a news or media organization in the last five years or if you are considering leaving a job in a news or media organization, what were/are your top reasons? (Please choose up to three.) If this question does not apply to you please choose the first option. (n=590)
Job Information
Respondents checked up to three.
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OpenNews Engagement, Value and Impact
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Affiliations
Q. Which of the following describes you? (Please check all that apply.) (n=567)
Engagement, Value and Impact
113 (205) responded both�I am a journalist and �I am a technologist/data scientist
(75 of whom identified as part of the ON community)
Respondents checked all that applied.
2 responses were excluded from
I am part of the OpenNews Community due to incomplete survey responses.
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Engagement with Open News
Q. How have you engaged with OpenNews in the last year? (Please check all that apply.) (n=567)
Engagement, Value and Impact
Other responses:
Respondents checked all that applied.
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Value Delivery
Q. In what ways has OpenNews delivered the most value for you and/or your organization? (Please choose your top three.) (n=370)
Engagement, Value and Impact
Other responses:
Respondents chose their top three.
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OpenNews Impact
Q. Please indicate the degree to which the following statements are true for you. As a result of my participation in OpenNews… (n=349)
Engagement, Value and Impact
(Responses sorted by “Very true for me”)
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Motivations for continued participation in OpenNews
Q. In a previous question, we asked how OpenNews has delivered value to you in the past. We’re interested in learning whether the same things are important to you when you consider your continued participation in OpenNews. How could OpenNews be most valuable to you in the future? (Please choose your top three. ) (n=370)
Engagement, Value and Impact
Other responses (9):
Respondents checked up to three.
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Aspects of ON that had the most impact in last year
Q. What single aspect of OpenNews has had the most impact on you and your work in the last year? Please explain its impact. Open ended. (n=152, 10 respondents noted no impact)
Engagement, Value and Impact
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What single aspect of OpenNews has had the most impact on you and your work in the last year?
Engagement, Value and Impact
“OpenNews gave me the opportunity to rebuild my professional identity after being laid off. OpenNews was my rising from the ashes moment that has propelled my future career in journalism.”
“Learning from people with similar values who are facing similar challenges in their jobs, and speak the same language as me. I feel very inspired after engaging with OpenNews. I appreciate how the organization is unabashed about its ideals but also offers very practical and realistic resources and dialogue”.
“Attending SRCCON has been so helpful in centering the humanness behind what we do and who is in this industry. Having a space to learn and discuss the real things that make an organization work - DEI, leadership, pay equity, etc - feels so humanizing.”
“I recently moved into an executive role and the DEI coalition community has been indispensable. “
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Biggest accomplishment in the past 5 years
Q. What do you see as OpenNews’ biggest accomplishment in the field of journalism in the past 5 years? Open ended. (n=159, 6 respondents were not sure)
Engagement, Value and Impact
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What do you see as OpenNews’ biggest accomplishment in the field of journalism in the past 5 years?
Engagement, Value and Impact
“OpenNews continues to host conversations that I see ripple throughout - from how editors manage to how orgs hire to how journalists advocate for themselves and their audiences. �It gives a space for the industry to self reflect and offers tangible roadmaps for changing behaviors/practices. It may feel slow going at times - but this community is a place that helps make change happen.”
‘I think the organization’s blend of promoting skills advancement alongside DEI efforts is unique and notable. These come through very clearly at SRCCON especially, and it’s such a refreshing experience.”
“Building a community not just around hard skills at the intersection of tech and journalism but also cultivating a shared language and culture of values, and belief that our workplaces can be more fair, equitable and inclusive environments”.
“Watching the DEI Coalition come together in such a conscientious, careful way and getting the buy-in of so many people across journalism to participate is astonishing. It makes me less afraid to acknowledge DEI issues knowing that I have that community to fall back on.”
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Most urgently needed in journalism
Q. What is most urgently needed for journalism to have a culture that respects, supports, and gives opportunities to all journalists? Open ended. (n=268)
Engagement, Value and Impact
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What is most urgently needed for journalism to have a culture that respects, supports, and gives opportunities to all journalists?
Engagement, Value and Impact
“For management of legacy newsrooms to give power and voice to staff; to critically challenge themselves around anti-racism, misogyny, ableism and transphobia, and to embrace new norms that have already developed without their participation.”
“Pay and benefits that can make this profession a long-term career that doesn't come at such high expense. Pay and benefits that are equitable, and seek to fill the gaps as a result of inequitable systems. Mental health support that's systemic in news orgs…”
“Community Colleges, HBCUs and Latino serving colleges and institutions need journalists to come and teach so that the next generation of journalists Will be part of the conversation. The talent is there and needs to be tapped into.”
“The rank and file are often open to new ways of thinking -- and are demanding better structures and systems -- but I find in most organizations, the power concentrated at the top seems to have no genuine commitment to change.”
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Ways OpenNews is well positioned to respond
Q. In what ways is OpenNews well positioned to help journalism develop a culture of respect and become a field that values every journalist no matter their background, job title, or organization? Open ended. (n=175)
Engagement, Value and Impact
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In what ways is OpenNews well positioned to help journalism develop a culture of respect and become a field that values every journalist no matter their background, job title, or organization?
Engagement, Value and Impact
“Through human connections, through the sharing of ideas and skills, through the amplification of experiences. OpenNews is one of the few organizations in and around journalism truly working to make us better at every aspect of our work. Not just our jobs -- our _work_.”
“OpenNews has a track record of elevating the voices of journalists and people who would be excluded…and instead bringing them into positions of power and authority within the journalism industry.”
“The practices you have built that demonstrate what a respectful culture looks like when it centers people and not companies or titles - many places don't know where to start and you have a roadmap.”
“Continued resource development - including workshops, seminars, talks, etc. - for newsrooms. I think a lot of places just can't see what the issues are, or how to control for them.”
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Additional thoughts and suggestions for ON team
Any additional thoughts or feedback for the OpenNews team? Open ended. (n=99)
Engagement, Value and Impact
“Thank you OpenNews for all you are doing to make our field more equitable, innovative and healthy. You're filling such an important gap in journalism…”
“It may not be the focal point, but it would be nice to keep the technical skill building portion alive even if the community dialogue isn't bubbling it up.”
“There’s a big global decolonizing journalism, unbias the news movement that could help give OpenNews more international reach.“
“...spaces like the JOC Slack have been hugely important for organically building capacity...I'd love to see tools and even small grants that help incubate this space….”
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Portrait of the �OpenNews Community
Responded “I am a part of the OpenNews community”. n=255
Comparisons to full survey results and other data sources when notable.
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OpenNews community:
Age
What is your age? (n=255)
Portrait of Community
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OpenNews community:
Gender
How do you currently describe your gender identity? (n=255)
Portrait of Community
| Full ON survey results | PEW Survey | State of Data Journalism Survey |
Woman | 52% | 46% | 39% |
Man | 44% | 51% | 59% |
Non-binary | 4% | 1% (“Another gender”) | 1% |
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OpenNews community:
Race/ethnicity
How would you describe your racial/ethnic identity? (Please check all that apply.) (n=255)
Portrait of Community
Respondents checked all that applied.
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OpenNews community:
Tenure in journalism or related field
How many years have you been affiliated with or working in journalism or a journalism related field? (n=251)
Portrait of Community
| Full ON survey results | State of Data Journalism |
More than 10 | 46% | 15% |
6-10 | 26% | 15% |
1-5 | 24% | 46% |
< 1 | 2% | 17% |
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OpenNews community:
Primary work
Q. What best describes the primary work that you do? (Please choose up to three.) (n=255)
Portrait of Community
Other
Respondents chose up to three.
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OpenNews community:
Employment status
Which of the following best describes you? (n=249)
Portrait of Community
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OpenNews community:
Employment organization type
Where do you work? (Please check all that apply.) (n=255)
Portrait of Community
Respondents checked all that applied.
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OpenNews community:
Affiliations
Which of the following describes you? (Please check all that apply.) (n=252)
Portrait of Community
Respondents checked all that applied.
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OpenNews community:
Value delivery
In what ways has OpenNews delivered the most value for you and/or your organization? (Please choose your top three.) (n=156)
Portrait of Community
Respondents chose their top three.
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OpenNews community:
Impact
Please indicate the degree to which the following statements are true for you. As a result of my participation in OpenNews…
Portrait of Community
(Responses sorted by “Very true for me”)
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OpenNews community:
Motivation for continued participation in OpenNews
Q. In a previous question, we asked how OpenNews has delivered value to you in the past. We’re interested in learning whether the same things are important to you when you consider your continued participation in OpenNews. How could OpenNews be most valuable to you in the future? (Please choose your top three.) (n=152)
Portrait of Community
Other Responses
Respondents chose their top three.
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Comparative results:
Across the years
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Age: 2016 v 2017 v 2022
Q. What is your age range?
Comparative years
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Gender: 2016 v 2017 v 2022
Q. How do you currently describe your gender identity?
Comparative years
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State of Residence: 2017 v 2022
Q. If you live in the United States of America, what is your 5-digit zip code? - Zip code then matched to corresponding state.
Comparative years
2017 (n=465)
2022 (n=500)
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Race/Ethnicity: 2016 v 2017 v 2022
Q. How would you describe your racial/ethnic identity? (Please check all that apply.)
Comparative years
Respondents checked all that applied.
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Employer Organization Type: 2016 v 2017 v 2022
Q. Where do you work? (Please check all that apply.)
Comparative years
Respondents checked all that applied.
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Management Role: 2017 v 2022*
Q. Are you in a management role where one or more employees directly reports to you?
Comparative years
*Question not asked in 2016
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Reasons for Leaving Last Job: 2017 v 2022*
Q. If you left a job at a news or media organization in the last five years or if you are considering leaving a job in a news or media organization, what were/are your top reasons? (Please choose up to three.) If this question does not apply to you please choose the first option.
Comparative years
*Question not asked in 2016
Respondents chose up to three.
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Salary: 2017 v 2022*
Q. How much do you earn in your current role/position?
Comparative years
*Question not asked in 2016
0% (0 responses in 2022)
Response categories combined for alignment year to year.
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Newsroom Unions: 2017 v 2022*
Q. Are you in a newsroom union?
Comparative years
*Question not asked in 2016
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Tenure: 2016 v 2017 v 2022
Q. How many years have you been affiliated with or working in journalism or a journalism related field?
Comparative years
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