The media job market remains difficult, but the picture is more nuanced than headlines suggest. Some roles are vanishing while others grow. Some skills are devalued while others command premiums.

I’ve been tracking job postings, salary data, and hiring trends across media-tech for the past year. Here’s what the data actually shows.

The Overall Picture

Total media industry employment continues declining, but the rate varies dramatically by function.

Traditional journalism roles—reporters, editors, photographers—remain in contraction. The trend that started with digital disruption continues.

But several categories are growing:

• Product and engineering roles at media companies
• Audience development and growth positions
• Data and analytics specialists
• AI-related positions (more on this below)
• Newsletter and email specialists

The shift isn’t just quantity—it’s composition. Media companies increasingly hire for capabilities that didn’t exist or weren’t prioritized a decade ago.

AI Roles: Real Demand, Unclear Definitions

AI-related job postings at media companies have roughly doubled year-over-year. But “AI role” means very different things.

Some postings seek actual AI engineers—people who can build and deploy machine learning systems. These roles require genuine technical expertise and typically sit in product or engineering.

More common are “AI Editor” or “AI Strategy” positions. These roles involve evaluating and implementing AI tools rather than building them. Requirements usually include editorial experience plus AI literacy—understanding what tools can do without necessarily knowing how to build them.

A third category: traditional roles with AI expectations added. “Reporter with AI skills” or “Editor familiar with AI tools” is becoming common. This reflects AI becoming a baseline expectation rather than a specialty.

Salary data for AI roles is all over the place, reflecting the fuzzy definitions. Technical AI positions at major publishers can pay $150,000+. Editorial AI roles are typically in the $80,000-120,000 range. Traditional roles with AI expectations added don’t seem to command significant premiums—AI literacy is becoming expected rather than bonus.

Audience Development Ascendant

The fastest-growing category I’ve tracked is audience development and growth.

These roles focus on acquiring, engaging, and retaining audiences—through SEO, email, social, partnerships, and increasingly diverse channels. As platform traffic has declined, direct audience relationships have become critical. Someone needs to build them.

Common titles: Audience Development Editor, Growth Lead, Engagement Director, Newsletter Manager, Retention Specialist.

Salary ranges: Mid-level audience development roles typically pay $70,000-100,000 at established publishers. Senior positions can reach $150,000+.

Skills in demand: data analysis, email marketing, SEO, social media strategy, experimentation methods, and increasingly, AI tools for optimization.

The hiring is driven by economic necessity. Publishers with strong direct audiences are surviving; those dependent on platform traffic are struggling. Audience development has become existential.

Product and Engineering: The Permanent Shift

Media companies continue building internal product and engineering capacity.

A decade ago, most publishers outsourced technology or used minimal internal resources. Now, significant publishers have substantial product and engineering teams building their own systems.

Roles in demand: full-stack developers, data engineers, product managers, UX designers, platform engineers.

Compensation: generally competitive with tech industry roles, especially at well-funded publishers. Engineering salaries of $120,000-180,000 are common at major publishers.

The shift reflects recognition that technology is core to media business, not a support function. Publishers who treated tech as vendor relationships found themselves dependent on others’ priorities.

What’s Declining

Some categories continue shrinking:

Print production roles continue disappearing as print footprints shrink.

General-assignment reporters face tough markets. Specialized beats remain more resilient.

Traditional copy editors have seen dramatic declines as publishers cut editing layers.

Photographers face reduced demand as publishers rely more on stock, contributed, and AI-generated images.

Middle management continues consolidating. Flatter structures are the norm.

This isn’t new, but the trends continue. Roles that were contracting remain so.

Geographic Patterns

Remote work has partially decoupled media jobs from traditional hubs.

New York and London remain dominant for senior positions and roles requiring in-person presence. But many editorial and technical positions are now remote-eligible.

For Australian media professionals, this creates opportunities. Some work for US or UK publishers remotely, often at favorable salary conversions. The competition for roles has also increased—you’re now competing globally for remote positions.

Local-focused roles—regional reporters, local audience development—obviously remain tied to geography. But a substantial portion of media-tech work can now be done from anywhere.

Skills That Command Premium

Across role categories, certain skills correlate with higher compensation:

Data fluency. Ability to work with analytics, draw insights, and make data-informed decisions.

AI capability. Both using AI tools effectively and understanding their strategic implications.

Product thinking. Understanding how content, technology, and audience intersect as product questions.

Commercial awareness. Understanding revenue models, not just content creation.

Experimentation mindset. Ability to design, run, and learn from tests.

These skills weren’t traditionally part of journalism training. Those who’ve acquired them have competitive advantages.

Advice for Job Seekers

Based on what the data shows:

Build AI literacy now. Not necessarily deep technical skills, but genuine fluency with tools and their implications. This is becoming a baseline expectation. Organizations like Team400 offer training programs that can help build these skills quickly.

Consider adjacent roles. Audience development, product, and analytics roles may offer better prospects than traditional editorial positions. Your journalism background is valuable in these functions.

Develop data skills. Basic SQL, analytics platforms, spreadsheet proficiency—data fluency opens doors across functions.

Cultivate specialization. Generalists struggle; specialists with clear expertise have more leverage.

Think globally. Remote work means geographic constraints matter less. Position yourself for opportunities beyond your local market.

Looking Ahead

The media job market will continue evolving. AI will eliminate some roles and create others. Business model pressures will shift hiring priorities. New platforms and technologies will create new specialties.

What won’t change: media companies need talented people who combine content expertise with technical capability and commercial awareness. Those people will have opportunities even as the industry transforms.

The data suggests cautious optimism—if you’re willing to adapt, acquire new skills, and think broadly about what “media career” means.