A longitudinal study of job satisfaction among Flemish professional journalists

The focus of this article is on the job satisfaction among the population of professional Flemish journalists by means of two surveys conducted in 2003 (N=1026) and 2008 (N=682). Both surveys focus on intrinsic and extrinsic variables linked to job satisfaction as well as on several predictors of job satisfaction such as type of contract, job function, age and gender. The longitudinal perspective allows us to identify any evolutions or differences in satisfaction between 2003 and 2008. By taking into consideration previous mentioned predictors also the influence of external elements on job satisfaction can be researched. The 2003 and 2008 surveys suggest that the ‘average’ Flemish professional journalist is fairly satisfied with the job content. However, we observe a slightly negative but non-significant shift occurring in 2008. The degree of job satisfaction seems to be related to the type of contract (freelance or employed on a permanent basis) and the job function. We noticed also a clear gender element in the discussion: female journalists are not less satisfied but state to have more difficulties to combine the journalistic job with a private and family life