• by Ray Schultz , March 25, 2025

Journalists are suffering from high levels of stress and burnout, according to The State Of Work-Life Balance in Journalism, a study by Muck Rack.  

Of the reporters polled, 38% say their mental health has declined over the past year, while 17% say it has improved. 

In addition, 50% have thought about leaving their jobs, although 56% expect to remain in journalism for two years or more. But 42% have previously left a job due to exhaustion or burnout. 

This is something that should be addressed by publishers and business owners.

Reporters also complain about getting insufficient sleep at night, mostly due to inability to turn off.  

Of those polled, 49% report getting five to six hours sleep, and 9% less than five. But 38% sleep for seven to eight hours, and 4% for more than eight. 

The main causes of stress are always having to be turned on, the workload and salary. The least impactful stresses are commuting, colleagues and sources. 

However, 83% work outside of normal business hours at least once a week, and 21% do so more than five days per week. 

Social media demands impinge on work-life boundaries for at least 55%, 22% to a significant degree and 3% extremely.

Only 7% prefer to work in the office, with 47% preferring a hybrid situation and 47% wanting to be fully remote. 

Accessible mental healthcare can improve the situation. But only 20% feel they would receive “a lot of support” from co-workers, and 15% from management. 

However, 61% of workplaces offer no mental health services.  

Muck Rack surveyed 432 journalists from January 2 to February 17, 2025.