Mapping the now, and hopes for the future

This survey is the latest iteration of OpenNews’ News Nerd Survey. Over the years, this survey has provided guidance for OpenNews’ work (and what you’ve seen on Source, like Exit Interviews!) as well as actionable data for the field, like salary analysis by Soo Oh.

This year, we’re seeking new data to understand how the field is continuing to evolve, and importantly, where you want to see journalism go.

If you work in journalism and tech, have interacted with OpenNews, or push for equity and inclusion in journalism, we want to hear from you.

Your responses will be confidential. In late 2022, findings and data will be shared back with the community.

Helping strengthen networks for change

Every time you answer (or ask!) a question in community Slack or send a resource to a colleague, you’re strengthening the resilience of the journalism ecosystem. A moment of help or a nod that acknowledges “you’re not alone in feeling that way” are the type of seemingly small gestures that have a huge impact on an individual’s day, and over time, on a career. This survey helps us document those supportive interactions, and the places where journalism’s institutions are failing people, too.

You can help ensure we have as complete a picture as possible of this landscape:

• Send this survey to a colleague. Is there a former intern you haven’t had a chance to say hi to recently? A boss whose perspective you always appreciated? A colleague you’ve relied on? Consider dropping them a line with a link to the survey, a note of appreciation, and a reminder about how valuable you’ve found their thoughts and how the rest of the field should hear them, too.
• Help spread the word. Here’s a little doc with some example tweets and messages for Slack communities or list servs and the like. Every little reminder helps! The more people we hear from, the more robust the data will be.
• Join a survey committee. We’re always looking for help with the survey! This year, we’d love some extra outreach support and a small committee will help shape how we release the data this year. Plus, we’ll start planning soon for future iterations of the survey. Email me for more details.

  Thanks to everyone who worked on prior years of the survey, who has helped spread the word, and who has taken the survey. We really value the time you put into the survey. We tried to keep the survey as streamlined as possible (it should only take 15 minutes) and designed the survey to only ask questions with actual use cases, even if curiosity alone could have generated a dozen more questions.

  The survey closes Friday, July 22. Please take a few minutes to fill it out now. Thank you!