Life after redundancy: what happens next for journalists when they leave newsrooms

The planned 125 editorial job redundancies at Fairfax Media is a huge blow to those working within some of Australia’s most established newsrooms, to their readers, and to the capacity of established media to operate as a site of public engagement. The proposed cuts prompted a seven-day strike by staff at the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and the Australian Financial Review, which between them face a reduction of 25% of all editorial staff. The announcement of these redundancies is just the latest in a protracted series of job cuts in Australian newsrooms since 2012. But what comes next for those who will be leaving? Our New Beats research team has been following the experiences of 225 news workers whose positions were made redundant between 2012 and 2014 to see how their post-redundancy careers evolved. Findings from our annual surveys of this group point to some common concerns – including how redundancy affects health, income, and the gaining of new skills.