What does it mean to be a journalist amid today’s fragmented, always-on media landscape that has given rise to a new corps of non-traditional practitioners? A representative sample of American adults, who were surveyed as part of Pew Research Center and PSB’s work, showed a lack of consensus on key aspects of who counts as a journalist. The results echo the findings from our previous work with Pew on what is and isn’t considered news. Nonetheless, the report shows that Americans are united on the traits they expect journalists to embody.
Our Approach
To understand how Americans view the role and definition of “journalist” amid political and technological shifts that have reshaped the profession, we convened a series of 90-minute focus groups. We recruited participants for most of the groups by two criteria: political affiliation, and whether they get news from traditional or nontraditional outlets. Three other focus groups represented Americans under the age of 30, over the age of 50, and those who rarely engage with the news, respectively. These groups complemented Pew’s randomized survey of all U.S. adults, bringing essential color and commentary to the larger survey.
Key Insights
- Divergent Views and Uncertainty. While a majority of Americans (59%) consider someone who conducts their own reporting to be a journalist, they are less certain about individuals who compile others’ reporting or offer commentary on current events. Our focus group participants highlighted past and present TV news staples like Walter Cronkite and Lester Holt as definitive examples of journalists. Some even mentioned fictional characters like Superman’s reporter alter ego, Clark Kent.
- Most-valued Traits. Americans broadly agree on the personal traits they value most from journalists: honesty (93%), intelligence (89%), and authenticity (82%). However, our focus groups surfaced critical nuance by illustrating differing views of what it means to be authentic. While some see authenticity through the prism of integrity, others believe it has more to do with adding a distinctly human touch to the work. And others still link it back to honesty and truthfulness, with one participant defining the term as “minimum Pinocchios.”
- Who Qualifies? Americans share a consensus (79%) that individuals working for newspapers or news websites are journalists. But when it comes to new media, such as podcasts and social media posters, there is less agreement. Importantly, younger adults are both more likely to include individuals working with new media in their definition of the role, and less likely to be particular about getting news from people they consider to be professionals.
- Influence in Society. A solid majority (59%) say that journalists play an important role in society’s well-being, but many (49%) believe that their influence is declining. Fewer than half (45%) are confident in journalists’ ability to act in the public’s best interest—a belief much more common among Republicans and Republican-leaning respondents. This sentiment was underlined by one of our focus group participants, who pointed to a handful of journalists he could trust, but saw others as too focused on “clicks, eyeballs, and money.”
- Advocating on Behalf of Communities. Should journalists advocate for the communities they report on? Americans are split on this question, with just over half (51%) agreeing that this is an acceptable posture. In comparison, Americans are closer together on the opinion that journalists should not publicly express their political or religious views. A focus group participant bluntly expressed his desire for journalists to stay in their lane, saying “If you’re a journalist, let’s stick to journalism,” instead of leaning into social media influencing or fighting for social issues.
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Check out the full report here.