Wild rates, few certainties and no dedicated trade association: across much of Europe, freelance journalists struggle to remain journalists. Their disappearance or surrender could impact the quality of information, leaving media at the mercy of commercial strategies dictated by their investors.

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Marta Abbà, in collaboration with Francesca Barca

“It’s a sector dominated by whites with university education from upper-middle-class families” in the Czech Republic, while in Bulgaria “it’s neither stable nor well-paid work, and low remuneration, combined with the lack of unions, significantly impacts the sense of insecurity among independent professionals.” In Albania “it’s a field accessible only to those who have additional income or financial support from family.” In Croatia “it’s not even seen as a prestigious profession” and not in Poland either, “but if you want to choose it you must be determined, especially at the beginning of your career.”

“The profession” is journalism and these are the voices of some freelancers describing its state in their countries. Italy is excluded, not because their colleagues are doing well in this country, but because the intent of this reportage is to try looking from outside at what happens in other areas, get indignant and then recognize ourselves as identical. After that, without waiting too long for the national or European media system to be scratched by all this, freelancers could continue to fight for their rights with one voice, as Anna*, an independent journalist from Poland suggests: “We give voice to those who don’t have one, but we forget about ourselves.”

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Takeaway

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A choice that costs… who pays?

Despite journalism not being (anymore) a profession chosen for money, it’s essential to explore to what extent it doesn’t allow earning any. Below a certain level of remuneration, in fact, the economic fragility of those who dedicate themselves to it can impact their quality of life and also that of general information, if the entire system is sick.

The average rates that freelancers in the 5 countries analyzed position themselves between 40 and 250 euros, regardless of whether it’s an article written at a desk or a reportage, a triple interview or an investigation. The widespread lack of transparent and shared rate schedules and the absence of rules about it, leaves everything in the hands of the individual professional. She or he, as a single subject and without any contractual certainty in hand, must each time negotiate with their contact and do the math to decide “whether it’s better to publish even if underpaid, or preserve one’s dignity but not appear anywhere,” explains Martin*, a journalist specialized in migration dynamics and human rights currently residing in the Czech Republic.

The reasons why an indecent payment is often accepted are many, and those who propose them know them all. The youngest do it “because we wouldn’t get international assignments without previous experience,” as Vesela*, a Bulgarian freelancer specialized in data journalism, explains. The most senior “because this is the job I’ve always done and it’s what I know how to do. I have no other options.” Everyone, however, confesses that they bend to miserable rates very often because “I want a certain topic to be brought to light and voice to be given to those who are not generally represented in the media,” Martin explains. In these three voices also resonate the other motivations collected and everyone declares that being a “pure” freelancer is really done by few. What do all the others do?

The many lives of freelance journalists

Someone does something else, sometimes within the sector, other times not. Croatian journalist Miteva* has been a freelancer for 16 years and lives exclusively on what she earns in the media world. “I have no other sources of income and no one else contributes to my living expenses,” she says, “but I do various types of work within it: I write, produce audio documentaries, teach at a journalism faculty and conduct media education programs, collaborate with international journalistic teams and with scientists, artists, activists, international organizations… If I only wrote, it would be difficult to make a living.”

Martin*’s experience, however, shows that there are also freelancers who prefer to supplement with more manual occasional jobs, “to preserve concentration for when I write,” he explains, “for example some including myself work as waiters in restaurants and bars, or as front desk clerks in hostels and hotels, but there are also those who work as chefs or even musicians.”

Depending on opportunities and one’s aptitudes, one reinvents oneself and if one doesn’t reinvent themselves personally, they can let the media handle this reinvention by proposing “fixed” monthly salaries but not contracted. In this way one remains a freelancer – with all the uncertainty and absence of benefits guaranteed by a contract – but is treated like employees. Meetings, deadlines, availability, shifts… an “as if” that everyone sees and no one unmasks, some for convenience, some to not definitively lose the possibility of doing journalism. In Bulgaria, Vesela* also reports a variant to this widespread scheme: “some publications offer copyright contracts, paying a lump sum for each individual article,” she says, “but without establishing any formal relationship as in an employment contract and doesn’t contribute to a pension or health fund.”

Miserable pay, miserable press?

Emilia Milcheva, a Bulgarian journalist with 30 years of experience in various national dailies also as editor-in-chief, has worked as a freelancer for five years and confirms the total absence of “established channels to finance independent investigations or field reportages,” but not only. “Media organizations rarely feel obligated to make their editorial policies public,” Milcheva adds, “and journalists must often conform to advertising contracts and private interests of owners, both factors strictly connected to editorial policies.”

Broadening the view, beyond the category’s situation, what emerges from the picture traced with the help of those who belong to it is a strong concern for the future of journalism. Of those who read it, as well as those who do it, and of the society that results from it. There are those who hope it’s just a bad period, like Vesela*, who hopes to witness soon a “democratization of content creation,” but knows that the freelancer’s “will always be a dangerous type of work and strictly dependent on how directors and people in positions of power in media companies will respect those who are in our position.” More pessimistic, in Poland Anna* sees herself threatened by artificial intelligence and predicts that “rates for those who remain will be lower,” she explains, “independent media will be replaced by commercial channels on TikTok and Instagram and, without a fixed salary and contract, it will be difficult to survive.” In Albania, Joni* notices growing interest from international and/or independent platforms and is convinced that “the situation can only improve, but the future remains uncertain and threatens pluralism and information quality.”

Martin* also sees a dark future for journalism but hopes organizations dedicated to freelance journalists will emerge in every city or country: “it would help regulate payment standards, work importance and respect for contributions.” From Croatia, Miteva* suggests including freelancers in the public workers system, “giving them a status similar to independent artists,” she explains, “in my country, those who meet some predetermined criteria receive health and pension contributions from the State. Instead, journalism is not recognized as a public good.”

Between latent fears and solution ideas, the basic need shared by all freelancers always remains the same: transparent and standardized rates, or an analogous way to be regularly paid. Not to become rich journalists, but simply to continue being journalists.

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*EDITOR’S NOTE: To protect the anonymity and privacy of those who wanted to share their experiences without exposing themselves publicly, the names mentioned in the article have been changed.

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This article was produced as part of the Thematic Network of PULSE, a European initiative supporting cross-border journalistic collaborations.

Contributors: Francesca Barca (Voxeurop), Dina Daskalopoulou (Efysn, Greece), Krassen Nikolov (Mediapool, Bulgaria), and Petra Dvořáková (Deník Referendum, Czech Republic).

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