"This report presents findings from the third wave of the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS3), conducted between 2021 and 2025. In this iteration, we focused on journalists’ perceptions of risk and uncertainty in their profession and sought to identify key factors that shape how journalists navigate
...
journalism’s changing environment. These risks and uncertainties arise from four partially overlapping domains: politics, economy, technology, and news consumption. Accordingly, the WJS3 questionnaire addressed journalists’ safety, editorial freedom, professional roles, news influences, and labor conditions. Our survey confirms that journalism is under pressure. Journalists worldwide are often undercompensated, and more than one-third engage in secondary employment. Economic pressures on news organizations have intensified in most countries. Nearly half of journalists have been targeted with hate speech, while psychological, physical, and digital threats are more prevalent in the Global South than in the Global North. More than 300 researchers from 75 countries participated in WJS3. This report provides a concise overview of key global findings. Subsequent publications will analyze specific topics in greater depth; please visit worldsofjournalism.org for more information." (Foreword, page 4)
more
"How do journalists around the world view their own function and role in society? Based on a landmark study that has collected data from more than 25,000 journalists in 66 countries between 2012 and 2015, Worlds of Journalism examines the different ways journalists conceive of their responsibilities
...
, their relationship to society and government, and the work they do. The authors conclude that there is no one conception of journalism and instead advance a global classification of journalistic cultures: the corporate libertarian model (e.g., U.S. and Australia); the public-service remit model (e.g., parts of continental Europe); the social interventionist model (e.g., parts of the Islamic World); the developmental faciliative model (e.g., parts of Africa and Asia); and the coercive heteronomy model (e.g., China and Russia). The book is organized around a series of key questions regarding journalists' autonomy, influences on their practice, journalism's role in society, journalists' trust in social institutions, and their perceptions about the ongoing transformation of journalism. Worlds of Journalism reveals how perceptions of journalism are created and re-created by journalists and how the practice of journalism is affected by different political, social, and economic institutions. The authors challenge essentialist ideas about journalism and provide an understanding of the diversity of worldviews and orientations of journalists in terms of roles, ethics, and influences." (Publisher description)
more
"This paper looks at the extent to which journalistic culture in Muslim-majority countries is shaped by a distinctive Islamic worldview. We identified four principles of an Islamic perspective to journalism: truth and truth-telling (siddiq and haqq), pedagogy (tabligh), seeking the best for the publ
...
ic interest (maslahah), and moderation (wasatiyyah). A survey of working journalists in Africa (Egypt, Sierra Leone, and Sudan), Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates), and Europe (Albania and Kosovo) found manifestations of these roles in the investigated countries. The results point to the strong importance of an interventionist approach to journalism—as embodied in the maslahah principle—in most societies. Overall, however, journalists’ roles in Muslim-majority countries are not so much shaped by a distinctively Islamic worldview as they were by the political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts." (Abstract)
more
"With regards to professional roles, Indonesian journalists found it most important to report things as they are, educate their audience, promote tolerance and cultural diversity, let people express their opinions and advocate for social change. Interviewed journalists also found it very important t
...
o provide the kind of news that attracts large audiences and support national development; the latter role seems to be similar among journalists based on the low standard deviation. Indonesian journalists reported that the role of supporting national development is still very important. In addition, Indonesian journalists found it important to provide analysis of current affairs, provide news that helps people to make political decisions, be a detached observer, motivate people to participate in political activity and monitor and scrutinize political leaders. Nevertheless, only 10.5 percent found that it is acceptable to be an adversary to the government or to set a political agenda." (Journalistic roles, page 2)
more
"The role of religious leaders in countries with very large Muslim populations such as Indonesia continues to attract world attention. However, mainstream media often focus on fundamentalist Muslim clerics. What seems to be missing from these narratives is efforts by moderate Muslim leaders to thwar
...
t fundamentalism by improving their communication style and their use of media and technology in order to reach young people as well as the wider community. This article explores the communication approaches and methods favored by Indonesian Islamic leaders—including use of both conventional and cutting-edge technology—to communicate with their followers. Interviews with 10 Muslim leaders were conducted in order to better understand their rich experiences. Findings suggest that Islamic preachers have embraced new technology and new media to communicate with their followers and attract a younger audience." (Abstract)
more
"[...] The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of international media training on radio professionals in Indonesia. The study examined the effectiveness of training organizations in implementing training programs in Indonesia. Diffusion of innovation theory was used as a theoretical fr
...
amework based on the premise that training has been one of the most common tools used to diffuse new ideas and knowledge other than the formal education setting. A mixed-methodology by combining focus group discussion and survey was used in order to understand the impact of training for Indonesian radio professionals. Finding suggested that most journalists and managers adopted training and diffused the new knowledge and skills to fellow professionals. Some of them continued to adopt while others stopped due to both internal and external challenges. Journalists said management was the main obstacle to for adoption; while managers blamed the market situation. In addition, other factors that occurred in training also played a role in adoption including participant selection, needs assessment, training materials, trainers and the structure of training." (Abstract)
more