JOURNALISM | Fake news among top concerns of Filipino journalists

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Almost seven in 10 journalists believe that the pandemic has reinforced and raised perceptions of the importance of “trustworthy journalism.”

Source: Telum

Journalists in the Philippines have flagged domestic politics and fake news alongside Covid-19 as major challenges for this year, while remaining optimistic about the importance of a trustworthy fourth estate, according to a Telum Media survey.

Almost seven in 10 (65%) journalists believe that the pandemic has reinforced and raised perceptions of the importance of “trustworthy journalism,” with only 19% thinking journalism is less valued now.

The Telum Asia Pacific Journalism Survey 2022: Reporting in a Disruptive Era report polled 1,333 journalists across the Asia Pacific region: the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. It was held from November 2021 to January 2022.

Amid pressure to traditional media models, Filipino journalists are showing optimism about the industry and are more than twice as likely to strongly recommend a career in journalism (29%) than their regional peers (12%).

Findings across Asia Pacific also indicate a “generally bouyant mood” for journalism this year. Nearly half (44%) are either optimistic or cautiously optimistic about the media industry in 2022.

“Covid-19 has made the business of journalism more challenging. Despite this pandemic, the message from journalists in Asia Pacific is that of having a clear sense of mission,, cautious optimism, and of a profession that is evolving with technology,” said Tim Williamson, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Telum Media.

Source: Telum

Digital storytelling

The rising prominence of digital platforms remains a key trend. Seven in 10 (71%) of Asia Pacific journalists are leveraging the use of digital channels such as social media, followed by online publications (68%).

Many in the industry pivoted to video storytelling a decade ago and today, 40% of the media workforce forecast growth in podcasts as a medium paving the way for an audio renaissance.

Almost two in three (66%) journalists feel that the rise of social media and digital channels have reinforced and elevated the need for more quality journalism.

News judgment and verification (60%), writing and language (50%), and curiosity (48%) are ranked as top skills for journalists today, according to the poll. Over the next three to five years, digital skills such as SEO (43%), data analytics (36%), and audience engagement (28%) will rank as the second most important skill for journalists, following news judgment and verification.

Due to the impacts of misinformation over digital channels, many are still apprehensive about the impact of digitalization. Over a quarter of journalists (26%) named digital disruption as one of the biggest challenges they expect to face in 2022, ranking it as a greater concern than job security (23%) and climate change (16%).

Personal touch remains a key factor when engaging with the media. Journalists prefer stories that are pitched as exclusives (38%) or directly to them (37%), with 94% of Filipino journalists more likely to run an exclusive article. The best time to pitch a story is between 8am to 11am (36%), followed by between 11am to 12pm (23%). Depending on the territory, majority of Filipino journalists prefer email pitches (72%) with some preferring social media pitches (15%). Using social media platforms, Filipino journalists engage with PR contacts over Facebook (70%), LinkedIn (64%), Twitter (49%), and Instagram (38%).

Download the full report: https://www.telummedia.com/public/request/communications-report.

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by Jing Garcia, managing editor
Managing editor at TechSabado.com | Website

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