Challenges in freelance journalism academic research: a literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n36a1692Keywords:
Freelance journalism, working conditions, self-entrepreneurship, media entrepreneurship, journalism employmentAbstract
Freelance journalism is a form of employment characterized by the self-employment of professionals that offer their services to different clients without a long-term commitment to them. In a context of economic turbulence, journalistic companies use this type of employment to make their workforces more flexible and thus reduce organizational budgets. As a result, it has experienced a sharp growth in the last two decades. In view of this expansion in the labor market, the aim of this research is to deepen the knowledge that the scientific literature has generated about this employment alternative. To this end, a systematized bibliographic review (n=58) is used. The results reveal that freelance journalism is a heterogeneous profession, although women predominate, and that this majority group faces difficulties related to the conciliation of personal and professional life. In addition, there is evidence of a predominance of unsatisfactory working conditions in various markets around the world, although self-management strategies foster greater satisfaction. This paper contributes to the field of study by establishing a state of the art on the features, working conditions and self-management strategies of professionals, in addition to offering future lines of research that would increase the theoretical and practical knowledge on freelance journalism.
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