Survey of UK editors reveals some grim stats, opinions
A survey of editors in the UK reveals some grim – but perhaps unsurprising – statistics about content generation and staffing across the pond.
A survey of editors in the UK reveals some grim – but perhaps unsurprising – statistics about content generation and staffing.
The Society of Editors sent its survey out to members during October and the beginning of this month. Roughly a quarter of the membership responded and while what they said wasn’t all bad, it wasn’t too great either.
For starters, respondents said editorial staff numbers have fallen by 29 per cent since 2007; editorial management and production have both fallen by 37 per cent.
Traditional content generation, meanwhile, has dropped by 17 per cent over the same time frame. Digital output, on the other hand, has jumped by 163 per cent.
When asked what issues they were thinking of going forward, editors put online, press regulation, and branding at the top. Many respondents felt that carrying on “the same old way” is the worst possible mistake editors could make as the media industry changes.
“We are already well past the ‘best before’ date,” wrote one respondent.
While others felt the worst possible mistake would be caving to press regulation pressures, respondents unexpectedly made very few references to the phone hacking scandal.
You can read the full report on the Society of Editors website.
