Journalism Ranked As The Most Stressful Job

The annual ranking for the most stressful jobs was released by CareerCast on Wednesday, 10th February, and the list ranked journalism as the most stressful job. Journalism related employment booked two spots among the top 10 in the list.  Broadcaster placed in the 8th spot, and newspaper reporter placed in the 9th spot after an online poll that included 834 self-selected participants.

The list ranked ‘Military Personnel’ at number 1 stressful job, followed by Firefighter, Airline Pilot, Police Officer, Event Coordinator, Public Relation Executive, Corporate Executive, Broadcaster, Newspaper Reporter and Taxi Driver.

Jobs Rated methodology, states that stress is determined by 11 factors: travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, the life of oneself or others at risk, meeting and interacting with customers and/or the public, and the potential for job growth.

Katie Hawkins Gaar, a faculty of the The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, one of the world’s leading journalism schools, said, “I’m not surprised, unfortunately. Journalists are under a lot of pressure. We work long, sometimes unpredictable hours. We cover stories and topics that can take a mental toll and are hard to leave behind at the office. We are expected to do more with fewer resources. On top of it all, our industry is in a state of uncertainty, which means that job security and workplace morale aren’t so great.” She further elaborated, “There are plenty of times where breaking news happens and a journalist is expected to work much longer hours at a quicker pace than usual.” “Two of the most common sources of stress we hear from journalists are emails and meetings. There are way too many and, ironically, they’re getting in the way of actually doing work”, she added.

What should be noted is the fact that stress in its core meaning, is extremely subjective. The stress faced by a police-officer while working on criminal case is different from the stress faced by a politician who is answerable to a million people. The stress that a doctor face while conducting an intense operation is distinctly different from the stress that a journalist face who has to get involved with the an actual incident while having the pressure to always be the voice and bridge among people and administration, bureaucracy, judiciary, and the like.

“Since news happens 24/7, I've been woken in the middle of the night [and] had to get a pitch out on weekends, holidays,” says Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based PR agent Bruce Serbin.

It is hard to put a number on any job, but the analysis by CareerCast indeed provided insights regarding the stressful situations that people from varied occupation face on a daily level.