Poll Finds Pessimism Among Print and Broadcast Journalists

Most newspaper and broadcast news editors think American journalism is in decline, and about half believe that their employers will go out of business if they do not find new sources of revenue. That's according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

Among print editors, 18 percent said their papers were actively pursuing the idea of charging readers for access to their Web sites, while 58 percent said it was under consideration. In addition, 48 percent of the editors who participated said that without a significant new income stream, their organizations could not remain solvent for more than 10 years; 31 percent gave them five years or less.

Broadcast executives were slightly more hopeful than their print counterparts about their employers’ financial futures, but broadcasters took a significantly darker view of what is happening to the quality of journalism.

Read more at the New York Times.