BETWEEN THE LINES: EXPLORING PRINT MEDIA JOURNALISTS PROFESSIONAL PERCEPTION

Abstract

This study examines the perception of the print media journalists in Dera Ismail Khan on their occupation with respect to demographics, experience, qualifications, job satisfaction as well as professional expertise. A Likert questionnaire was adopted and used to administered as a cross-sectional survey among working reporters and editors and analyzed descriptively. The respondents were mostly male and had a diverse age bracket, different languages, and educational backgrounds (mostly possessing graduate degrees). The majority had significant newsroom experience, but many stated that they did not have the qualifications as indicated in their job titles with many citing role education disparity issues. Rather than a clear motivation, either by choice or by chance, to enter journalism, motivation seemed to be a mixed one. Although self-reported knowledge of journalistic terms was usually high and experience was associated with better newswriting, a significant percentage failed to perform background research in advance, which shows gaps in the rigor of pre-reporting. Time on task implied significant workload requirements. In general, the results portray a heterogeneous, although male-dominated workforce that is poorly aligned in training and job positions, and where research is not always part of practice. This research highlights the importance of specific professional growth, more defined career opportunities, newsroom policies that reinforce reporting practices and take care of both qualified and unqualified practitioners.