• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Journalists have plenty on their minds, ranging from lack of funding to the spread of disinformation, judging by a new study from Muck Rack.

Both of those concerns are shared by 32%, although fears about disinformation have fallen from 36% last year.  

Another 26% fret about lack of trust in journalism, and 25% over government interference in the press. And 26% are wary of unchecked artificial intelligence.

More disturbingly, 32% say safety concerns have affected how they perform their jobs in the past year, at least somewhat. 

But journalists are more comfortable than you might think. 

Of those polled, 66% feel their jobs will be secure over the next 12 months. And 56% believe in the long-term stability of their firms.

What's more, 53% are upbeat about their long-term career prospects in journalism.  

Asked to select all that apply, journalists describe their work as:

• Meaningful—65% 
• Exhausting—47%
• Rewarding—43%
• Precarious—38%
• Exciting—32%
• Routine or repetitive—25% 
• Isolating—18%

Moreover, 56% feel supported in terms of tools, training or guidance, 24% very much so. And, for the most part, they have enough time to do their jobs.  

Yet 62% have had more responsibilities dumped on them over the year. 

As for AI, 82% now use it, with 47% citing ChatGPT and 22% Gemini. 

Perhaps tied to that, reliance on social media has fallen by 12% to 21% since 2024. However, 45% still use social for promotion. 

The most accepted platform is LinkedIn, with 58% saying they trust it to treat journalistic content fairly. But faith in TikTok has fallen from 61% to 51% in the space of one year. 

Fears about safety, harassment or reputation management are affecting how 59% of reporters use social media, significantly for 21%.   

Where do journalists get their ideas? Of those polled, 86% say PR pitches inspire at least some stories, but 88% delete irrelevant pitches. 

Except for a few, it’s not a get-rich profession. 

Here are the annual salary ranges they report:  

• $40k — 9% 
• $40k-70k — 45% 
• $70k-100k — 30%
• $100k-150k — 12% 
• $150-250k — 4%
• +$250 — 1% 

Want to make journalists happy? Asked for the one thing leadership can do to make them feel better, they cited positive feedback without having to seek it out, better training in AI, hiring more people and raises in pay. 

Muck Rack surveyed 897 journalists from January 30 to March 2, 2026, with most in the U.S.