New report: Scepticism among journalists towards working for brands

Only one out of five journalists are open to working for brands, according to a report that Mynewsdesk releases today. It’s the fourth report from the annual journalist survey, and it explores journalists views on brand journalism and what companies need to do to attract new talent.

Over 3,000 participants took part in the survey that was conducted globally. The result shows that there is a significant gap between companies and brands wanting to hire journalists for creating content compared to the number of journalists that are open to this kind of collaboration. (Download full report here)

The research shows that 65% of communicators state that they are already using journalist for storytelling and PR, or think it’s a good idea for the future - but only one out of five journalists are open to working with brand journalism.

Over the past few years changes in the media landscape have resulted from a decrease in full-time journalists and staff writers, and an increase in freelance journalists. Changes in media business models have had significant effects on journalists, and 70% are worried about professional stability for the future.

"Given the rapid changes in the media landscape, it’s not surprising that so many journalists express concern for financial and professional stability. Finding new ways to fund journalism is critical. For us at Mynewsdesk, both journalists and brands have much to gain by taking advantage of each other and their available skills,” said Jonathan Bean, Chief Marketing Officer at Mynewsdesk.

There are big regional differences, and overall, journalists in English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States) are more open to working for brands than those in Nordic or DACH countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland).

Experience level is one more important factor in this matter, and less experienced journalists are more open to brand journalism compared to their more senior colleagues. 36% of those surveyed who have fewer than seven years of experience are either already working for brands or open to the idea (compared to 27% of those with more than 15 years of experience).

For more information, please contact;
Sara Lindström, Global PR Manager at +46 76-288 56 15 or sara.lindstrom@mynewsdesk.com