The other issue is really about professional identity. Journalists are very tribal, meaning that they have always been very sensitive about who is and isn’t a journalist. Economic uncertainty has only heightened this sensitivity. Many journalists still define themselves not only by their jobs but by very specific ways in which they do their jobs.
This is a bit like a builder defining themselves by the fact that they mainly do extensions. Possibly factually true, but really unhelpful if demand for extensions suddenly dries up…