DEADLINES MAKE THE JOURNALISM WORLD
GO ROUND
BY THE NUMBERS
A 2014 study on the correlation between time and resources as it applies to journalists examined how long it generally took to complete articles. The research examined three phases of the writing process from the beginning stages of assignment to the time they were published.
The pre-assignment phase signified the point when a reporter began work on an article. It was concluded that 20 percent of work began instantaneously alongside the emergence of any news, with a further 47 percent of work beginning within 12 hours of an event.
The next stage, referred to as work-duration, represented the bulk of the journalist’s labor from right after pre-assignment up until the article was filed. A stunning 76 percent of reports were filed within six hours of beginning the assignment.
For nearly all journalists, they fulfill these numbers multiple times over as they work on several stories at once. For associate editor at Bennett Communications, Greg Bennett says he typically works on three to four projects of varying size and involvement at a time.
“Some of those (projects) will have dozens of articles and heavy involvement and others will involve simply writing a story or two,” Bennett said. “When I need to, I can do things quickly. I could do a phone interview, gather a photo and write a story in an hour if needed.”
News reporters, PR executives and broadcasters made the top 10 most stressful jobs report for the year of 2017. (Kat Leakehe)
A study by Zvi Reich and Yigal Godler examined journalist's time and resources. (Kat Leakehe)
UtahValley360.com web editor Rebecca Lane says she ponders three questions when a deadline is pressing. (Kat Leakehe)
Journalists are constantly under time pressure and juggling multiple assignments at a time. (Kat Leakehe)
Rebecca Lane wears many hats and writes several articles at a time as the web editor for UtahValley360.com. The pressure to get it all done often has her feeling overwhelmed.
“My job is very stressful, but the stress is exciting,” Lane said. “I constantly have a to-do list that is way too long for me to accomplish. The most stressful part is being unable to complete ideas and tasks because of the restraints of time.”
Time restrictions are inherently a part of journalism because news by nature is unpredictable. Those time restrictions — also known as deadlines — result in a lot of stress for journalists.
The CareerCast.com annual report on the most stressful jobs considers 11 workplace dynamics to determine which ones are the most stressful. In the 2017 “Most Stressful Jobs” report, the occupations of news reporter, public relations executive and broadcaster made the top ten list because of the intense deadlines and public scrutiny faced on a consistent basis.
The final stage, filing-to-publication, corresponds to the time it takes from when an article was filed to when it was published. 87 percent of articles were published within 12 hours of completion.
The study also found that online articles were produced much more rapidly. Fifty-five percent of journalists began their work within one hour of the event and 84 percent of their work-duration lasted just three hours, with 68 percent of articles reaching publication within only one hour of filing.
Lane falls into that 84 percent as a web editor who also creates content. She juggles countless articles but intensely focuses on three stories at a time. It typically takes her two to three hours to complete one article including research, interviews and writing before she publishes.
At first glance, the numbers seem to suggest that deadlines cause the stress journalists encounter. However, understanding the workplace dynamics gives greater insight.
WORKPLACE DYNAMICS
Journalism has a unique purpose and consumer base that makes the job abnormally stressful. In order for journalists to successfully fulfill their purpose of informing the public, they are constantly racing against the clock while never truly being “off the clock.”
“Although the news landscape has changed, deadlines never do,” said Ann Hatch, director of media relations at the Dallas County Community College District. “With the 24/7 news hole, the push to
provide news and responses has become even more stressful because it’s an ever-present deadline too.”
Lane works a typical nine-to-five schedule but never feels like she is off the job.
“I consider myself a 24/7 journalist,” she said. “This is why I have to learn how to identify exactly what is important enough to pull me away from my life outside the job for a story.”
On top of providing essential information to inform the people, the news also must satisfy more minor, day-to-day, and timely needs like the weather, traffic, and health and environmental hazards.
The emergence of the Internet has dramatically increased the speed of this news flow. Now, journalists are expected to have news updated nearly as quickly as the consumer can tap the refresh button. For journalists to accomplish this, they must adhere to strict deadlines to stay productive and produce quality work consistently.
WHY DEADLINES ARE NECESSARY
The fact that journalists function under such uncomfortable time restraints is because of the unpredictability of news. The uncertainty of events forces journalists to adhere to deadlines so they can efficiently inform the public. The key for journalists is that while other jobs may require a near perfect product, journalism is unique in that more often than not, done is better than perfect because the public needs only the most important details, and they need it quickly.
“Deadlines are important in the journalism world because news keeps on moving,” Lane said. “It doesn’t stop so you can form the perfect sentence.”
According to Lane, deadlines don’t have to be the end of a story because there’s always an opportunity to create more content.
“A completed story isn’t the end, especially when stories are developing or are part of a series,” she said. “Using stories as stepping stones, a journalist learns to strengthen his or her work by more efficiently communicating on a deadline.”
Deadlines ensure that the people steadily stay informed, which is a journalist’s primary function.
The unpredictability of life events and the never-ending news cycle mean that the world of journalism will always be run by deadlines. The job is stressful, but it’s not because of deadlines. It’s because the job is so stressful that deadlines are necessary.
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Stress is an inevitable part of the journalist’s job but there are strategies that can help reduce it. Here are some tips from three journalists.
Greg Bennett has a bachelor’s degree in communications with a print journalism emphasis from BYU and has worked as an associate editor with Bennett Communications since 2002.
“I have been doing this long enough to know how to pace things so I don’t feel a lot of deadline stress,” Bennett said. “I typically have plenty of time to do the expected work. The key to handling the stress of deadlines is avoiding it as much as
possible by getting work done throughout the process. Procrastination causes stress in my life.”
Bennett says the most important tool to reduce stress at work is by creating personal tasks to check off.
“I utilize realistic to-do lists. I know what I can and need to do in a given day to move the ball down the field toward the goal line, so I make incremental tasks and jot them down. Then, I can visualize my progress.”
The fact of the matter is that things won’t always go according to plan. Bennett suggests having a backup plan in times like these and to be sure to communicate.
“I have missed deadlines but the more complicated answer is that we build in time to ‘miss’ incremental deadlines and still hit the main ones. On the rare occasion that I know I’m going to miss a deadline, I openly communicate the situation to our editor and develop a plan that works for all of us.”
Rebecca Lane has a bachelor’s degree in communications with a journalism emphasis from BYU and has worked as the web editor for UtahValley360.com since 2013.
“For big deadlines, I set smaller deadlines that make inevitable, last-minute work less stressful,” Lane said.
Lane says the key to being successful in the journalism field is to acknowledge limitations.
“I have to accept that some things on my to-do list will slip through my fingers. You can’t be a perfectionist in this industry. You have to accept your best work in the moment and move on.”
When it comes to juggling responsibilities, Lane has a method she uses to determine what’s most important.
“I ask myself: What do people need and deserve to know? What will be the best story for the website? How can I accomplish this task quickly while doing it justice? And then I make a prioritized plan.”
Kristen Kerr is new in the communications field. She received her bachelor of arts in communications with a journalism emphasis from BYU in 2017. She currently works for the BYU Athletic Communications office as the softball sports information director and a graduate assistant for football information. With such a demanding sports schedule, Kerr is grateful for time restraints.
“I like deadlines because it forces me to prioritize,” Kerr said. “I like to make lists and break assignments down into smaller chunks.”
Kerr works on up to five articles at a time and sometimes the stress of deadlines is overwhelming. In these situations, she said communication is key.
“If I don’t meet a deadlines my work can fall on someone else and then I feel bad about it,” Kerr said. “I typically talk with my coworkers when I’m feeling overwhelmed with a deadline. They are always willing to help and our ability to communicate about problems really strengthens our unity as a team.”
Overall, Kerr feels deadlines improve her performance.
“I think there’s a point where you need structure to produce results,” Kerr said. “In the journalism industry, this is particularly important. Personally, I thrive on deadlines. It helps motivate me and I’m testing myself against the clock.”