The Flemish journalist in 2013 : a new wave of journalists surveys

This paper examines the results of a fifth large-scale survey on career development and working conditions of Flemish journalists carried out by the Center for Journalism Studies at Ghent University. In the tradition of journalist surveys around the world and the exemplary work by David Weaver and his colleagues in the United States, the Center of Journalism Studies collects data on the profiles of professional Flemish journalists. The journalism survey - conducted in 1983, 1993, 2003, 2008 and 2013 - probes for socio-demographic, occupational and professional characteristics of journalists in Flanders. As with the previous waves of this study, all 2622 active professional journalists in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium were invited to participate our questionnaire. For the first time, we also invited journalists working for the periodical press to complete the survey. The questionnaire is divided into ten modules concerning various aspects of the journalistic profession such as education, job satisfaction, the use of sources and autonomy. The goal of this study is twofold. On the one hand, the data offer a detailed picture of the current profile of Flemish journalists. On the other hand, the longitudinal perspective allows to gain insight in the influence of recent economic and technological developments on the journalistic profession. Furthermore, our analysis focuses on the differences between subgroups of journalists based on age, gender, education or medium.This paper examines the results of a fifth large-scale survey on career development and working conditions of Flemish journalists carried out by the Center for Journalism Studies at Ghent University. In the tradition of journalist surveys around the world and the exemplary work by David Weaver and his colleagues in the United States, the Center of Journalism Studies collects data on the profiles of professional Flemish journalists. The journalism survey - conducted in 1983, 1993, 2003, 2008 and 2013 - probes for socio-demographic, occupational and professional characteristics of journalists in Flanders. As with the previous waves of this study, all 2622 active professional journalists in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium were invited to participate our questionnaire. For the first time, we also invited journalists working for the periodical press to complete the survey. The questionnaire is divided into ten modules concerning various aspects of the journalistic profession such as education, job satisfaction, the use of sources and autonomy. The goal of this study is twofold. On the one hand, the data offer a detailed picture of the current profile of Flemish journalists. On the other hand, the longitudinal perspective allows to gain insight in the influence of recent economic and technological developments on the journalistic profession. Furthermore, our analysis focuses on the differences between subgroups of journalists based on age, gender, education or medium.C