One in five journalists have switched jobs or made a career change due to the economy, according to new survey results from Muck Rack, the public relations management (PRM) platform that, states a release, “helps organizations find the right journalists to pitch, monitor and report on media coverage and prove the value of earned media.”

Muck Rack’s sixth annual State of Journalism report, which surveyed more than 2,200 journalists to understand the current state of journalism and the future of the industry, also found layoffs and furloughs have increased the workload for about 20% of journalists.

According to the release, half of journalists cited disinformation and lack of funding as top concerns, followed by trust in journalism (40%) and lack of time to cover stories thoughtfully (33%). While two out of three journalists say their work has been impacted by economic uncertainty and 51% make $70,000 or less a year, more than half are optimistic about the profession.

“With the industry facing issues like wavering trust in the media, threats to free press and lack of funding, it’s hard to recall a more challenging time for journalism,” said Gregory Galant, cofounder and CEO of Muck Rack. “This survey sheds light on the deep responsibility journalists have to deliver news and information to the public and how they’re managing it with limited resources. Our aim in releasing this data is to help PR teams be successful when working with the journalism community, approaching relationships with empathy, patience and real insight into how journalism gets made.”

More here.