H E L P W A NT E D 2010:
An examination of new media skills required by top U.S. news companies

A uthors:
Deb Halpern Wenger
University of Mississippi
129 Farley Hall
University, MS 38677 drwenger@olemiss.edu Lynn C. Owens
Department of Communications
Peace College
Kristine Trever
School of Mass Communications
Point Park University

H E L P W A NT E D 2010:
An examination of new media skills required by top U.S. news companies
Debora W enger, L ynn C . Owens, K ristine T rever
Determining the skills needed for employment and success in the journalism profession has never been more important. In a period of severe economic stress, journalism companies continue to hire staff, but at much reduced levels and amid vast layoffs, particularly within the print industry. Against this backdrop, this paper explores the impact of technological and economic change on the hiring practices of American news media organizations.
A content analysis was conducted over a period of three months in 2008 and 2009 for all the employment opportunities posted by the top ten newspaper and broadcast journalism companies in the United States. Each year, more than 700 postings were coded to determine the most desirable skills and attributes for job candidates and the amount of emphasis placed on multimedia expertise. The study also relied on interviews with recruiters for these companies who share their own views on what makes a desirable job candidate and reflect on some of the study’s findings.
The paper argues that these job postings reflect an entire industry in transition.
And in fact, the researchers identified several important changes from year-to-year, including an increased emphasis on Web/multimedia skills for broadcast newsrooms as well as further definition of what those skills should entail. For example, for the first time, an understanding of