Job satisfaction of journalists: Professional aspirations, newsroom culture and social context

Abstract

Job satisfaction is one of the most popular topics in organisational behaviour research, as it affects organisational productivity and job commitment. This study examines various factors contributing to the job satisfaction of journalists by contextualising the research in the unique Singapore environment, where the news media, as state-protected monopolies, provide journalists with job security and good monetary rewards. Singapore’s news media clearly deviate from the liberal norms in terms of the legal framework within which they operate, yet the Singapore journalists compete well against professionals from other countries for international awards for editorial excellence. The newsroom culture ensures that the local journalists see themselves as supporters rather than adversaries of the government but at the same time require them to question the government about its policies and decisions. Singapore thus serves as an interesting context to test various factors that may contribute to journalists’ satisfaction with their job. Through a survey of 447 Singapore journalists, this study examines various factors that may affect the job satisfaction of journalists, including individual characteristics, job rewards, newsroom culture, perceived role of journalism, and the performance of their news organisations. The findings show that what matters most to Singapore journalists is how they see their institution perform in informing the public. Journalists who feel greater autonomy and believe in the adversarial role of the press are more satisfied with their job as journalists. In the meantime, monetary reward, job security and demographic differences are not significant factors in determining job satisfaction.