The Future of Journalism

April 2022 | Lilly Torn
last updated on 19. June 2024

Challenges as a Journalist and How to Meet Them

The journalist’s professional field and activities are many and varied. On the one hand, this is quite exciting, while on the other hand very challenging. A thick skin is needed in order make it in today’s world of journalism. Many competing forces tend to work against instead of with one another. Widely varying skills are required due to the journalist’s large scope of duties. Long hours and a heavy workload also come with the day-to-day.

The demands on journalists are high.

This may very well come across negative, but no worries, improvement is in sight. In this article you can see which main challenges make up the field of journalism and how you can face these challenges. We’ll provide you with the tips and tools to help you to persist as a journalist in these complex times.

 

Lower circulation, lower advertising revenues, fewer staff – the future of journalism?

The market environment for journalists is narrowing. Circulation numbers are sinking, and digital subscriptions bring in substantially less money. This leads to fewer overall staff members and greater demands on each individual journalist.

 

Despite these changes, the expectations regarding content continue to rise. Topics are becoming more complex, research more extensive and content more varied. This makes it even more important to utilise tools for simplifying the day-to-day.

The variety of content and its delivery

Our world is full of content. Content in the form of videos, podcasts and texts have long belonged to those common formats consumed by us daily. They’re not only important sources of journalistic research, but they also provide access to a large target audience. The resulting challenge for journalists is that content must be adapted to differing requirements. This is the only way to profit from an enlarged range.

 

Texts are transcribed from videos and podcasts and then packed into bite-sized pieces for social media. Social media in particular have had a strong impact on journalistic work. The researched content is made accessible to a potential target audience via such platforms. Content triggers discussions and stimulates exchange.

It is therefore even more important to adapt the content according to what each individual platform requires in order to benefit from them in one's own journalistic work.

For Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube etc., the necessary adaptations are wide-ranging and require proficiency in video editing, image editing and concise wording.

Transcription of video and audio for journalists

Video and audio content require significant adaptations in order to be successfully released onto various platforms. Transcribing texts is complex, time consuming and is by no means a journalist’s favourite task. Creating error-free transcripts requires high levels of concentration. This is the foundation for versatile use of video and audio content.

 

So, it's even better when there are tools which can take work off your hands and streamline things. Our transcription software GoSpeech helps you to create transcripts at the touch of a button. You will be amazed at the output the AI-supported software tool can deliver. Low error rates and the highest level of quality will make your everyday life as a journalist easier.

SEO for journalists

Search engine optimisation is another issue taking up more and more space in the everyday life of journalists. Content must be structured in such a way that it can be easily found via search engines. Most searches come from Google. It is therefore important that the content is well ranked. A good ranking means that your article appears in the top search results for a given search query. This ensures you a broad reach. Search engine optimisation adheres to clear rules. Therefore, in order to profit from search engines as a journalist, you must be familiar with their diverse requirements. These can range from keyword research to the implementation of search engine optimisation measures.

Conclusion – Challenges and opportunities for journalists

The journalist’s profession is becoming increasingly more demanding. They function as social media managers, SEO experts, copywriters and much more. The role is many-sided and new technologies are driving new trends. You must react to these. The trends require that you continually adapt your own work to them. This means that using tools which simplify your day-to-day life is even more essential. It allows you to meet the many demands and to perform work at a high level.

Feel free to check out our speech recognition and to test yourself with GoSpeech for free.

Transcribe audio or video recording now