‘I can see why younger journos resent older journos and how that influences content and coverage. The industry has changed so much that not only are younger journos paid so much less but they are unlikely to ever get that bigger money that once commonly existed. Part of that resentment is knowing that those pathways for higher income don’t really exist anymore. They [younger journalists] will be on shit money until they inevitably leave for a corporate job which they won’t enjoy as much but it’s the only way to pay the bills and have a decent lifestyle.’ Some respondents commented on the rapidly changing nature of newsrooms, driven by cost-cutting considerations. They observed that this has resulted in younger desk editors and news directors, potentially creating an imbalance in newsrooms and the subsequent news coverage. ‘Traditional mainstream audiences are still Boomers, but most media organisations are now led by Gen Xers and sometimes even Gen Z.’ ‘Over the past few years the average age of most newsrooms has dropped by at least 10 years. There’s been a conscious move by media organisations to cut their wages cost base by moving on older journalists who are generally on the higher income bands. One of the consequences of that is it makes newsrooms less representative [of society] and I think that is impacting the quality of coverage.’ Interviewees also discussed the problem of ageism within the media industry itself, with some speculating that it may be more prevalent in media workforces than in the broader community. Consistent with other findings, there was a strong view that, just as ageism is gendered in the wider community, it is particularly pronounced in the media industry. ‘In the media industry itself, being a public-facing job, it’s even more acute. There’s very little value placed on older women journalists and presenters.’ ‘The day I had to wax my upper lip was the day I knew I had to get out of TV and get into print.’ ‘It’s the same in the jobs market. You’ll have stand-out candidates, but they fall down in the application process because of their birth year.’ The media professionals interviewed were not aware of any internal, formal training or education on issues around ageing and ageism, and stated that this was not seen as necessary in their organisations. In contrast, interviewees from two media organisations said there was formal, albeit irregular, training on issues around gender and/or cultural diversity. ‘A long time ago at a different media organisation we had training about correct labelling of ages but there was nothing beyond that, certainly nothing about ageism and issues around ageing.’ 26 Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing