Burnout in U.S. local journalists
Burnout scores were calculated on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 indicates high levels of burnout overall and 0 indicates no sign of burnout. A burnout score of 50 or higher on the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory is considered moderate burnout or higher, according to previous research.
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory measures burnout across three subscales:
- Personal burnout: “degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion experienced by the person.” These questions asked about overall weakness and feelings of exhaustion.
- Work-related burnout: “degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion that is perceived by the person as related to his/her work.” These questions asked about exhaustion and frustration specifically related to work.
- Client-related burnout: “degree of physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion that is perceived by the person as related to his/her work with clients.” These questions asked about frustration and exhaustion specifically related to sources.
In this study, we asked journalists about their interactions with sources for questions about client-related burnout. This subscale will be called “source-related burnout” in this study. The other measures of burnout were kept the same.
Personal and Work-Related Burnout
Respondents reported similar levels of personal and work-related burnout. The average respondent scored 58.15 for personal burnout, indicating that the average respondent is experiencing moderate personal burnout or higher. The average respondent scored 57.32 for work-related burnout, indicating that the average respondent is experiencing moderate work-related burnout or higher.
Seventy-two percent of all survey respondents scored 50 or higher for personal burnout, and 70% of survey respondents scored 50 or higher for work-related burnout.
Respondents from the original 2005 study using Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, which surveyed workers ranging from Danish hospital chiefs to nurses and prison wards, had an average personal burnout score of 35.9 and an average work-related burnout score of 33.
Some recent studies have indicated an increase in personal burnout since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2023 study of Australian teachers, the average personal burnout score was 61.5, and the average work-related burnout score was 58.8.
Six studies of burnout in journalism using the Maslach Burnout Inventory spanning 2005-2013, found that journalists experienced average levels of burnout.
Source-Related Burnout
The average journalist scored 37.8 for source-related burnout, indicating that the average respondent is not experiencing moderate to high source-related burnout.
31% of survey respondents, or 171 respondents, scored 50 or higher for source-related burnout.
This score is the closest to the 2005 study in Denmark in which average respondents scored 30.9 for client-related burnout. This source-related score is lower than the 2023 study of Australian teachers, in which respondents scored 41.3 in student-related burnout.