Supported by international organizations such as UNESCO and the International Federation of Journalists, WJS3 thematically focused on journalism, risk, and uncertainty. The third wave of the project draws on the responses of more than 32,350 journalists in 75 countries.
WJS3 continued the work from the previous two waves of the study (WJS1 and WJS2). The first wave of surveys (WJS1) was carried out in 2007–2011 and had covered 21 countries from around the world. The second wave (WJS2), fielded between 2012 and 2016, yielded interviews with more than 27,500 journalists in 67 countries.