Greater Work-Related Stress Among Chinese Media Workers in the Context of Media Transformation: Specific Stressors and Coping Strategies

Abstract

A steady rise in unexpected deaths of Chinese media workers from 2011 to 2015 highlights a new social problem. Content analysis of official reports about these deaths reveals the contribution of work-related stress and media transformation. Moreover, surveys and in-depth interviews with 147 Chinese media workers demonstrate that 11 factors related to the current media transformation may magnify work-related stress. These factors stem from characteristics of media transformation, such as the crisis in journalism, the expansion of information and communication technologies, ideological control, and the reorganization of management. This article focuses on newly emerging and Chinese-specific stressors, revealing how media transformation increases stress and causes anxiety. In addition, the article suggests specific coping strategies in the Chinese context.