The Direction and Demographics of Journalists’ Trajectories: Evidence from One American City, 2015–2021

Abstract

This paper tracks the professional trajectories of journalists in one American city (Seattle, Washington) from 2015 to 2021. Using an original data set, it finds high degrees of professional inertia (journalists holding the same job) and exit (individuals leaving journalism); cases of advancement, by contrast, account for just over 16 percent of the sample. White men are more likely to retain their jobs; women, persons of color, those with limited professional experience and working for online-only news media exit at comparatively higher intervals; those possessing degrees from a prestigious university or a graduate program tend either to advance professionally or leave journalism. Demographic patterns are also largely reproduced within specific trajectories, with white men tending to advance to or retain esteemed beats and editorships, while women, persons of colors and those with graduate degrees proceed via “softer” news beats or functional specializations, especially jobs oriented towards data, analytics, and audiences. Findings suggest that professional trajectories are undergirded by multiple social inequalities.

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