Dissatisfied with the current crop of newbie journalists covering your organization? Don’t hold your breath waiting for a better wave of novices with the next graduating class…not if you’re counting on salary and benefits to attract a better grade of entry-level news hacks.

"The Atlanta Business Chronicle" says that a report issued in August by the University of Georgia shows starting salaries are down, benefits are reduced “and the satisfaction with those jobs is declining.”

The report is based on a survey of 2,900 graduates from 103 universities. Statistics from that survey show that the average starting salary for a 2001 graduate is down by $1,000 — from $27,000 to $26,000. For graduates with a master’s degree, the average starting salary dropped to $30,120 from $31,304 in 2000.

“Adjusted for inflation, those are the lowest salaries in the industry since 1998 and below the average starting salary of $28,667 for graduates of other liberal arts programs in 2001,” the survey showed.

Not only are salaries and benefits down, but fewer grads are finding work in journalism, and those who actually get hired tend to be less satisfied with their jobs. The survey showed that about 29 percent of respondents said they were “very satisfied” with their jobs compared with almost 35 percent in 2000.

The annual survey is considered a barometer of the communications industry,” the Chronicle reported. The University of Georgia has been conducting the study since 1997, after taking on the responsibility from Ohio State University, which began the project in 1987.