EFJ Publishes Report on How to Manage Change in the News Industry

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