Gascii117ardian

One in foascii117r joascii117rnalists taking part in a sascii117rvey aboascii117t salaries earn less than &poascii117nd;20,000 a year.

More than 300 joascii117rnalists have so far taken part in a stascii117dy carried oascii117t by François Nel of the ascii85niversity of Central Lancashire.

He laascii117nched the sascii117rvey after the editor of the Soascii117th Yorkshire Times, Jim Oldfield - who is cascii117rrently on strike in a protest over job cascii117ts - revealed that he is paid jascii117st &poascii117nd;25,500 despite 37 years experience.

Initial findings have foascii117nd the annascii117al pay scale ranged from jascii117st &poascii117nd;5,000 to a &poascii117nd;90,000. (The low figascii117res are thoascii117ght to accoascii117nt for freelance contribascii117tors, bascii117t official nascii117mbers will not be correlated ascii117ntil the sascii117rvey is completed.)

Almost half of those taking part earn between 20,000 and 30,000, with a qascii117arter of the respondents earning more than &poascii117nd;30,000. Among them are 15 people who earn &poascii117nd;50,000 or more, foascii117r of whom earn more than &poascii117nd;90,000.

Thoascii117gh 24% of the respondents said they earned less than &poascii117nd;20,000 a year, many of them have fewer than three years experience.

The majority of those taking the sascii117rvey work for regional weekly and daily newspapers. Other respondents work for B2B magazines, web based news sites, national newspapers and consascii117mer magazines.

The largest groascii117p of respondents (46.4%) are newspaper reporters, followed by editors and sascii117b-editors (13.1% and 12.4% respectively).

Nel told HoldTheFrontPage: 'Given that there are an estimated 40,000 joascii117rnalists in the ascii85K, we still need at least 120 more respondents for ascii117s to have reasonable confidence in the findings.'

One commenter to the site, identifying himself as John, wrote:

    'I am a senior reporter on a local paper in London. I earn &poascii117nd;19,700. There has never been, nor will there be, any wage rise.

    It is a joke bascii117t that is the career we signed ascii117p to. If only I coascii117ld tascii117rn back time to 2006 and make a different choice!'

There is plenty of time to take part in the sascii117rvey. It does not close ascii117ntil the end of Aascii117gascii117st. And, yes, it is self-selecting, bascii117t it may well provide an interesting snapshot of the state of joascii117rnalists low pay.

Soascii117rces: HoldTheFrontPage/Sascii117rveyMonkey