Not many people managed to find out how the job market for journo's has changed over the past decade or predict how it may change in the years to come.
Journalism isn't called the 4th Estate (after the clergy, nobility and commoners) for nothing. Telling stories about society is, and always will be, important.
How many people do this, and how well they're paid, is a different matter . . .
I read out the comments attributed to former Age Editor-in-chief Paul Ramage in Nick Ley's column in the Oz. 1990; 450 journo's. 2008; 408 journo's. Last week; 285. After redundancies; 215.
A decade ago there were roughly 320 journo's in the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery, now it's more like 220.
Oz Guide says there are 21 Journalism Schools in Australia, but for some bizarre reason doesn't bother to mention the University of Canberra. Can't trust the internet, can you?
http://www.journoz.com/journ.html
J School says there were 26 Journalism Schools in 2008. Canberra's ranked = fourth with Uni Sunshine Coast.
http://www.jschool.com.au/ratingtable.php
Wikipedia has 15 schools, again not including Canberra. Authoritative?
A decade ago I asked the MEAA and they said something like 600 students graduated with Bachelors' degrees specialising in journalism and another 50 with Masters/Grad Dips/etc each year. At that time there were only c 300 jobs for journo's a year. Nevertheless, people obviously got work somewhere and some get fantastic jobs. If you manage it, working as a journalist can be one of the best jobs ever . . . it's just that the odds aren't necessarily in your favour.
Now, having said this and got it off my chest, I'm going to concentrate on what a marvellous career it can be and stop being a misery guts about the 'decline of journalism'.
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