Journalists' Satisfaction with Telecommuting Post-COVID-19: A Case Study of ISNA News Agency

Abstract

Background: Due to the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommuting has emerged as a new work method in the media, enabling journalists to adapt to digital technologies. Aims: This study aims to assess journalists' satisfaction with telecommuting in the post-COVID era among journalists at ISNA news agency. Methodology: The theoretical foundation of this research is based on the ideas of Daniel Bell and Manuel Castells. The statistical population includes 123 journalists, managers, senior editors, and news editors. Data was collected using a survey method and a researcher-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire's validity was evaluated through face validity, and its reliability was determined by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.956. Results: The results of this study indicate that telecommuting has had positive effects on journalists' productivity, focus, topic discovery, and job enthusiasm. Among the factors assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, "improved output during telecommuting" ranked highest with an average of 4.35, followed by "no issues in communication with colleagues" with an average of 4.29, "feeling of enthusiasm and vitality" with an average of 4.19, "better focus on work" with an average of 4.18, "more time for work" with an average of 4.07, "topic discovery and development" with an average of 3.87, and finally, "ease of communication with relevant organizations and individuals" with an average of 3.74. Conclusions: Environmental, family, and individual factors (such as number of children or marital status) have no effect on job satisfaction in telecommuting, but journalists' job position does influence their satisfaction with telecommuting.