...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...
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