You
have seen (and heard) them. He bitches vigorously; she grouses at
the drop of a notebook. Still, you could not drag them out of a
newsroom. They know that on any given day they have a chance for
professional satisfaction, maybe even some fun. They are complainers
without genuine complaints. Yet in some newsrooms — those infected
with cynicism or dulled by routine, places where appreciation is
hard to come by and excellence is not a visible goal — the
complaints are likely to be real.
In this issue, CJR explores the factors that lower or lift the morale
of the American newsroom, as well as their connection to the success
of the journalistic mission.
MANAGING
MORALE
There is no one right way to manage morale.
You need to be sensitive to mood, act as an advocate for reporters
and editors and have the willingness to listen. Brent Cunningham
explores what it takes to strike the right balance.
CJR's
MORALE SURVEY
Fully 84 percent of journalists in a new CJR survey see low morale
as widespread, and most say their newsrooms are getting worse.
By Neil Hickey
A
WALK THROUGH THE AMERICAN NEWSROOM
From job security to ownership pressures, there are many factors
affecting morale in the newsroom. Here are thirteen glimpses at
some of those factors.
WHY
I QUIT
Four who gave up the ghost and why.
WHAT
I WANT
Five up-and-comers discuss expectations and hopes.
TV
BLUES
In five-hour documentary series on PBS, TV journalists are seen
struggling with how best to do their jobs. By Neil Hickey
JOB
VS. LIFE
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jane Eisner finds balancing
work and family an ever-trickier task in an age of cutbacks and
increasing pressure.
A
HAPPY NEWSROOM, FOR PETE'S SAKE
At the St. Petersburg Times, something unusual is stirring
among newsroom staffers: satisfaction. By Russ Baker
ARTICLES
SMOKE
GETS IN OUR EYES
When it comes to coverage of the recent globalization-related
protests, the press often misses the whole story. By John Giuffo
A
JOURNALIST'S LIFE
Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays With Morrie, is a sports writer
in a league of his own. By Dante Chinni
BEYOND
THE VEIL
The cultural obstacles are formidable, but Saudi journalists aren't
only men.
By Sally Buzbee
SEVEN
DEADLY SINS
In the coverage of new medical technologies, the danger of distortion
and exaggeration is ever-present. By Trudy Lieberman
CLINICAL
TRIALS
When promising new medical advances seem just on the horizon,
the pressures to accentuate the positive can sometimes be irresistable.
By Melinda Voss
"THE
PRESIDENT IS FINE"
Journalists have covered up illnesses as much as they have covered
them.
By Richard Norton Smith
COLOMBIA'S
SECRET WEAPON
The story of how an American journalist became a superflack and
shaped perceptions of a nation. By Steven Dudley
HOW
WE GOT THOSE STORIES
Amanda Bennett and Jack Hart, two of The Oregonian's managing
editors, discuss the evolution of two Pulitzer Prize-winning stories.
