1st Edition
Happiness in Journalism
This book examines how journalism can overcome harmful institutional issues such as work-related trauma and precarity, focusing specifically on questions of what happiness in journalism means, and how one can be successful and happy on the job.
Acknowledging profound variations across people, genres of journalism, countries, types of news organizations, and methodologies, this book brings together an array of international perspectives from academia and practice. It suggests that there is much that can be done to improve journalists’ subjective well-being, despite there being no one-size-fits-all solution. It advocates for a shift in mindset as much in theoretical as in methodological approaches, moving away from a focus on platforms and adaptation to pay real attention to the human beings at the center of the industry. That shift in mindset and approach involves exploring what happiness is, how happiness manifests in journalism and media industries, and what future we can imagine that would be better for the profession. Happiness is conceptualized from both psychological and philosophical perspectives. Issues such as trauma, harassment, inequality, digital security, and mental health are considered alongside those such as precarity, recruitment, emotional literacy, intelligence, resilience, and self-efficacy. Authors point to norms, values and ethics in their regions and suggest best practices based on their experience.
Constituting a first-of-its-kind study and guide, Happiness in Journalism is recommended reading for journalists, educators, and advanced students interested in topics relating to journalists’ mental health and emotion, media management, and workplace well-being.
This book is accompanied by an online platform which supports videos, exercises, reports and links to useful further reading.
List of Contributors
Acknowledgements
1. Chapter 1: Fostering a Culture of Well-Being in Journalism by Valérie Bélair-Gagnon, Avery E. Holton, Mark Deuze and Claudia Mellado
PART 1: JOURNALISTS, JOY & THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
2. Chapter 2: Journalists Considering an Exit by Jana Rick
3. Chapter 3: The Joy in Journalism by Richard Stupart
4. Chapter 4: Finding Joy as Journalists Motivations for Newswork by Gregory P. Perrault
5. Chapter 5: What Psychology Can Offer in Understanding Journalists’ Well-Being by Jennifer M. Ragsdale and Elana Newman
6. Chapter 6: Building Resilience Through Trauma Literacy in J-Schools by Lada Trifonova Price and Ola Ogunyemi
PART 2: IN SUPPORT OF JOURNALISM WELL-BEING
7. Chapter 7: Recruitment and Retention Practices in a Changing African News Media Ecosystem by Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara and Trust Matsilele
8. Chapter 8: Developing Psychological Capital to Support Journalists’ Well-Being by Maja Šimunjak
9. Chapter 9: How Newsroom Social Media Policies can Improve Journalists’ Well-Being by Logan Molyneux and Jacob L. Nelson
10. Chapter 10: Supporting Digital Job Satisfaction in Online Media Unions’ Contracts by Errol Salamon
11. Chapter 11: Establishing Individual, Organizational and Collective Practices for Journalists’ Wellbeing through Disconnection by Diana Bossio
12. Chapter 12: Championing a Security-Sensitive Mindset by Jennifer R. Henrichsen
13. Chapter 13: Job Control and Subjective Well-Being in News Work by Víctor Hugo Reyna
PART 3: STEPS & PRACTICES TOWARD HAPPINESS
14. Chapter 14: Cognitive Dissonance in Journalistic Trauma by Danielle Deavour
15. Chapter 15: Safer Vox Pops and Door Knocking by Kelsey Mesmer
16. Chapter 16: Teaching Student Journalists to Refill their Happiness Tanks by Alexandra Wake and Erin Smith
17. Chapter 17: Self-Employment in the News Industry by Sarah Van Leuven and Hanne Vandenberghe
18. Chapter 18: Workplace Happiness, Journalism and COVID-19 in South Asia by Achala Abeykoon et al.
19. Chapter 19: Engaged Journalism and Professional Happiness by Lambrini Papadopoulou and Eugenia Siapera
PART 4: ESSAYS
20. Chapter 20: Has Journalism Forgotten the Journalists? by John Crowley
21. Chapter 21: Happiness in Journalism as a Public Good: Implications for Teaching and Research by Hermann Wasserman
22. Chapter 22: News, Negativity, and the Audience’s Role in Finding Happiness in Journalism by Seth C. Lewis
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Valérie Bélair-Gagnon is an Associate Professor for the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, USA.
Avery E. Holton is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication, University of Utah, USA.
Mark Deuze is a Professor for the Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Claudia Mellado is a Professor for the School of Journalism, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile.
