New Agreement to Cover Online and Freelance Journalists (Italy)

The EFJ affiliate in Italy, FNSI, renewed the collective agreement with publishers after a period of intensive negotiation. The agreement will cover, for the first time, online and freelance journalists, setting the minimum standards on their pay conditions.

According to the new agreement, freelance journalists working for daily newspapers can receive up to €250 for 12 news articles. In a year, they can receive €3000 for 144 articles. However, some journalists consider that the rate is not high enough.

The agreement will also include a new scheme supported by the Italian government who will inject 120 million euros to encourage youth employment in the media sector. Trainees now can legitimately claim payment for their work compared to previous conditions where they mostly work for free.