Here's Where the Journalism Jobs Are

The good folks over at Pew Research Center recently published an in-depth analysis of the make-up of the Washington Press Corp, including details of how it compares to 2009.

No, wait, don't leave yet: as niche as that might sound as a topic, it's something that should be of interest to anyone who cares about where our news comes from--and especially if a career in the media is something that you've grown up with a burning desire to pursue.

Consider, for example, the following chart, detailing how the makeup of the press corps has changed over the past handful of years:

That figure you see for "niche outlet" includes everything from outlets like Buzzfeed and Politico to subscription-based services that provide high-level analysis to whoever is prepared to pay for it. Those positions now outnumber traditional newspaper reporters in the Capital--a pattern that is very likely true everywhere else in the news industry, and which only seems likely to continue developing along similar lines in the years ahead.

And then there's this chart, which shows the rate of growth of journalists from "digital native" publications:

So if you're thinking about a career in media, the takeaway from this one is easy: the establishment media is not where the jobs are.