Media managers must be in charge of various types of workers, from production (technicians), circulation, advertising, front-office, and editorial staff.
Of all these workers, editorial staff is usually the biggest challenge, because journalists often work based on different motivations than other task-oriented workers or business staff.
An understanding of what motivates employees (journalists) is important for managers, so they can manage their staff more effectively.
Failure to understand the motivations of these journalists is the reason why it is so difficult to apply a participatory management style in the newsroom, precisely when other departments can accept it more easily.
There seems to be more skepticism among journalists, as well as a general unwillingness to change.
Below are outlined some common features or values among journalists, to give a better understanding of how to motivate them.
Ego needs
It’s no secret, many journalists have high egos, which need to be satisfied routinely by giving a byline to each of his work that is published in newspapers.
This ego satisfaction factor makes many workers in the media business survive in the world of journalism, even though they realize they can get a better income or get a work atmosphere that is not too stressful in other types of work.
The ego can be an asset for journalists, but also a burden for managers who have to handle them. Selfish journalists often find it difficult to accept criticism of their work with a generous heart.
Idealism
One of the main problems faced by editors is facing the insistence of reporters, who want to see various problems as they should, not as they are. This happens generally to new reporters.
This conflict often arises when a reporter realizes, his writing style is considered too flowery or otherwise too flat by the editor. Or, when the editor demands the reporter complete the number of sources in the article he wrote.
Even though the reporter felt, the number of sources was sufficient. They will say that the editors’ instructions did not match what they had learned in journalism school.
Frictions may arise between reporters who use an idealistic approach to dealing with editors who are realistic.
Skepticism
Compared to other features of journalists, skepticism seems to be the most troublesome for managers.
From the beginning of their profession, journalists are trained to be skeptical of everything, and this continues to the journalist’s opinion of his own organization, office policy and manager.
Skepticism cannot co-exist in harmony with respect and blind obedience to authority, whoever is the authority figure, both the news source and his own editor.
This skepticism causes any renewal efforts in the leadership style in the newsroom to take a long time before it can be applied, because first the manager must win the trust of the journalists. This is something that is not easy to do.
Aggressiveness
Combined with skepticism, aggressiveness (assertiveness) can produce a reporter who is brave and tough in the field.
However, it can also produce an employee who is difficult to manage. The editors feel happy, if the reporters are aggressively chasing the news.
However, they are not ready to face reporters who aggressively ask, why their news is interrupted by such editors, or changed here and there.
Many producers and editors will try their best to avoid a fierce confrontation in the newsroom.
An aggressive subordinate can have a certain influence on his boss. Aggressive attitudes like this are usually shared by sales staff.
Creativity
The study shows, one of the things that gives job satisfaction and motivation to journalists is the opportunity to write interesting stories from the facts he collected in the field.
Creativity also inspires advertising practitioners, when designing advertisements that are unique to their clients.
But on the other hand, highly creative people may not be easily supervised or regulated, compared to other employees who tend to follow standard operating procedures.
Creative advertising reporters or practitioners often prefer to follow their own volition, rather than organizational rules.
However, without the creator’s creativity, we might not find interesting articles or advertisements.
With creativity
integration between individual goals and company goals becomes very important.
Individualism
Journalists who have strong individualism often find it difficult to work with their colleagues as part of a team. This profession also presents an irony.
Although reporters and print media editors are closely connected in a communal environment called a newsroom, the work carried out by each is very individualistic.
This is less felt in the television media, where reporters and camera people must work side by side, unable to walk independently.
Sometimes both of them also work together with field producers. In fact, many reporters stay in this profession precisely because the nature of their work is relatively individual.
It could be that a reporter makes his own assignments, collects his own information, then writes the news and submits it to the desk who might not be editing much of its contents.
With a competent reporter, it could be that the editor accepts the reporter’s individualism, because he sees the reporter as an employee who can “go it alone” and only requires minimal supervision.
Professionalism
Many journalists consider themselves professional. But the definition of professionalism itself is often unclear. Journalists, like doctors and legal experts, are a profession.
The profession according to Webster’s New Dictionary and Thesaurus (1990) [1] is a job that requires special knowledge and often also intensive and long academic preparation.
A surgeon, for example, before being able to practice requires knowledge of the anatomy of the human body and education, as well as training, is quite long and intensive.
A legal expert must also learn a lot about legal provisions before he can practice.
A journalist also needs to have writing skills, which takes a lot of time to mature, before he can produce quality journalistic work.
These examples clearly distinguish between professions and ordinary work, such as pedicab drivers, for example, which do not require special expertise or knowledge.
Samuel Huntington (2) adds, the profession adds a job or a vocation, discusses a specific placement that has the following characteristics: Expertise (Expertise); responsibility (responsibility); and collegial (Corporate).
(1) New Dictionary and Webster’s Thesaurus. Short Edition. 1990. New York: Russel, Geddes & Grosset.
(2) Samuel P. Huntington. 1964. Soldiers and the State; Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations.
Can be quoted in Nugroho Notosusanto. 1983. Upholding Almighty Insights. Jakarta : UI Press. Page. 16
Palembang, 31 / May / 2020
Head of South Sumatra Sidik Case : Adeni Andriadi
Komentar