Stirred but not shaken: How the next generation is adapting to the online domain

Australians are becoming regular users of online journalism, but the development of this form of journalism occurred relatively late in Australia. This has led to the pre-eminence of a second, younger generation of online journalists, mostly in their 20s and with little journalistic experience. New graduates may be as likely to find work in online journalism as they are in newspapers and magazines. Therefore, the future of journalism in Australia is closely tied to the online domain. Little is known about these journalists or their experiences in online journalism. After surveying a small sample of young journalists in their first online jobs, we discovered they generally worked in a dynamic environment, which was sometimes experimental but also partially troubled. The online domain offered young journalists enhanced opportunities, variety and even excitement; but it also unnerved them with heavy workloads, insufficient training and uncertainty about their roles. We conclude that this represents a missed opportunity to develop online journalists at a time when online journalism is increasingly being seen as key to the future of journalism as a whole.