The pandemic and worldwide lockdowns changed the way newsrooms worked, by forcing journalists to work from home, but has the industry embraced this new way of working? The Reuters Institute conducted a report on whether newsrooms have transformed due to the shift initiated during the pandemic.
The report surveyed 136 senior industry leaders from 39 countries and a series of in-depth interviews. The report found that:
- News organisations have embraced hybrid working, with 61% of the survey respondents saying that their organisation has primarily implemented hybrid and flexible working with new rules in place for staff.
- 49% of the survey respondents, said that staff was required to be in the office for a compulsory minimum number of days a week/month.
- 29% of respondents said that their organisations follow a more voluntary approach, in which staff is expected to be in the office a minimum number of days of their choice.
- 39% of survey respondents said that their newsrooms are struggling to get people back, while 38% say they are not struggling.
- 47% of newsroom leaders said their organisations have already redesigned the office space to better accommodate hybrid working, with another 27% saying they are considering hybrid working.
- 49% of the respondents think that hybrid and flexible working has made hiring and retaining talent much or somewhat easier, while 65% think that hybrid and flexible working could increase their ability to hire diverse talent and have a positive impact on their diversity, equity and inclusion strategies.
- 33% of the leaders who participated in the survey indicated that gender diversity has been the single most important priority for their news organisations to change, while another 32% indicated it was ethnic diversity.
To read the full report, click here.
