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  • Jul, 2012

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    Concern about Cutting Journalists

    Q. Australia’s major newspaper publishers – News and Fairfax – recently announced substantial job cuts, including many journalists. How concerned are you that Australian newspapers are losing so many professional journalists?

     

    Total

    Vote ALP

    Vote Lib

    Vote Greens

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read daily

    Read a few times a week

    Read about once a week

    Read less often/

    never

    Very concerned

    20%

    26%

    19%

    23%

    15%

    21%

    26%

    34%

    24%

    14%

    12%

    Somewhat concerned

    28%

    28%

    29%

    34%

    28%

    29%

    27%

    34%

    34%

    24%

    22%

    A little concerned

    29%

    28%

    29%

    22%

    31%

    29%

    26%

    21%

    25%

    37%

    32%

    Not at all concerned

    17%

    16%

    18%

    16%

    18%

    16%

    17%

    9%

    14%

    21%

    23%

    Don’t know

    6%

    2%

    5%

    5%

    7%

    6%

    4%

    3%

    3%

    4%

    12%

    20% were very concerned and 28% somewhat concerned about job cuts to newspaper journalists.

    68% of daily readers of newspapers were very/somewhat concerned.

    Those most concerned were aged 55+ (53%) and respondents from Victoria (59%).

  • Jul, 2012

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    Statements about Cutting Journalists

    Q. Which of the following statements is closest to your view?

     

    Total

    Vote ALP

    Vote Lib

    Vote Greens

    Aged 18-34

    Aged 35-54

    Aged 55+

    Read daily

    Read a few times a week

    Read about once a week

    Read less often/

    never

    As we lose more and more professional journalists, we are losing the seasoned judgments of skilled and experienced professionals in gathering and assessing information – and that is a bad thing for Australia and Australian democracy.

    50%

    53%

    49%

    52%

    41%

    48%

    62%

    70%

    53%

    44%

    35%

    With the internet, we all have access to a large amount of information and the loss of the professional journalists who work for the major newspapers in Australia really doesn’t matter that much.

    31%

    26%

    34%

    34%

    37%

    30%

    25%

    20%

    28%

    39%

    36%

    Don’t know

    20%

    21%

    17%

    14%

    22%

    22%

    13%

    10%

    19%

    17%

    29%

    Respondents were more likely to agree with the statement that “As we lose more and more professional journalists, we are losing the seasoned judgments of skilled and experienced professionals in gathering and assessing information – and that is a bad thing for Australia and Australian democracy” (50%).

    Those most likely to support this statement were aged 55+ (62%), daily newspaper readers (70%) and Victorians (58%).

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