The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today published a report saying that innovation and trade unionism are crucial to
defend ethical standards in journalism and decent working conditions for
journalists.
The
report on "Managing
Change in the News Industry" outlines major transformations
within the media and how journalists and their unions are responding to the challenge.
In this report, the EFJ not only pays tribute to its members who continue
to defend quality journalism and decent working conditions for journalists
through innovative means, it also provides new ideas for more debates at
national and European level on the social dimension of change in the industry.
"This is
a timely report that offers a sense of direction on how journalists' unions can
respond to the changing news industry," says EFJ President Arne König, "But
more work needs to be done to support our unions in
times of crisis."
"The
media market and the working conditions of journalists in Europe are changing
so rapidly and more studies about the real situation are needed, in particular, on the social and
economic status of freelance journalists and the increasingly deregulated media
market." said König.
- The report, written by Andreas K. Bittner, an online freelance journalist and member of the EFJ Steering Committee, is based on the survey results collected from 25 EFJ member unions. It attempts to provide answers to the questions raised:
- - What are the future strategies of journalists' unions in the changing news industry;
- - How to narrow the existing "generation
gap" between older, established journalists and young journalists
- with precarious working conditions;
- How can unions defend journalism as a public good in a free-of-charge, internet culture;
- How to improve recruitment policy in order to reach out to potential members.
The report is
part of the EFJ on-going work to strengthen trade unionism in the changing news
industry. It is partly funded by the European Commission (EC).
Currently,
the EFJ together with the European section of UNI-MEI, a global union for media
workers, is working on a project aiming to find out major changes in the
employment landscape of the industry with a focus on new online media in two
selected countries - France and the United Kingdom. The project, financed by
the EC, will contribute to the existing EFJ works in this field.
You
can download the report in English, French and German.
The European Federation of Journalists
is the regional group of the International Federation of Journalists representing
over 260.000 journalists across Europe.
For more information, please contact
EFJ on + 32 2 235 22 00