Journalistic enterprise and the working conditions that sustain it;
By Ainslee Baruhas
The steady decline of what we now know as traditional journalism is somewhat inevitable in the face of the 2.0 web age. The deterioration of print news outlets has also symbolized the decimation of the practices that formed it, paving the way for a more innovative, technologically resilient type of journalism that continues to hold up the democratic value that societies demand from it. This particular discussion however does not pertain to compare the old practices to the new or seek to understand why traditional journalism failed. What this discussion does investigate though is the nature of innovation in journalism, and how this innovation is transforming work environments and notions of work conditions to create a globalized journalistic sphere. It also seeks to question the apparent incongruity between the seemingly freeing nature of journalistic innovation and the ambiguity that is arising over the ‘boundaries between flexibility and exploitation’ for the (journalistic) entrepreneurs ‘who operate in the space between formal and informal media’ (Ramon Lobato and Julian Thomas (2015) ‘Work’, The Informal Media Economy, Cambridge, UK, Polity, pp. 68–88.)
The emergence of the digital age brought with it the need to reimagine news and the way in which information could be transferred to the public. The shift away from print media did not necessarily incapacitate the need for journalism, in the way that it is often portrayed as having done. Moreover, the rise of digital communities gave journalism the opportunity to expand and grow in ways that have created a platform for entrepreneurs in the journalistic field like never before. The digital age quickly became synonymous with the knowledge era, not only because knowledge became widely accessible to a greater number of people, but due to the commodification of knowledge that created an economy in itself: the knowledge economy.
Alternative digital news outlets, a byproduct of the knowledge economy, not only create opportunities for entrepreneurs to accumulate writing experience but facilitate the freelance culture that is transforming traditional journalism. While outlets like ‘BuzzFeed’ and ‘The Huffington Post’ can be described as new-market disruptors as they are ‘new entrants to a field’ that ‘establish a foothold at the low end and move up the value network’ (http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer). By producing ‘low-cost, personalized and increasingly original content’ the outlet is successively able to monopolize over their traditional media counterpart. Alternative media outlets that are a product of the digital economies change the way in which we view the consumption of media. No longer do we as an audience consume and take in media like we used to. ‘Now we are living in media’ (The_Media_Logic_Of_Media_Work.pdf) a facet that has given rise to enterprise in the journalistic field.
What is central to the entrepreneurial model for journalists is the notion of the individualization of media work that is especially pertinent in the context of ‘nonstandard’ employees in the media. The ‘almost complete shift’ toward the individual employee whose accountability and responsibility is entirely ones own, helps to illustrate how enterprise is becoming an individual not organizational attribute, exemplified by media entrepreneurs most notably in the journalistic field. This shift may be an intentional managerial ploy to enforce a professional identity that consists of efficiency and empowerment and it enforces understandings about the ever-evolving ideas surrounding what an employee is (The_Media_Logic_Of_Media_Work.pdf). Continually freelancers are being urged to not see themselves in the traditional employee format, with titles such as ‘contributors’ and ‘associates’ being more accurate a description. The question remains however over whether or not this shift away from the standardized employment format leave media entrepreneurs at risk of underpayment and exploitation?
Journalistic enterprise has in part been facilitated by a digital freelance economy in which freelancers can write short articles for ‘content farms’ for a set per-word rate or a share of advertising revenue (Ramon Lobato and Julian Thomas (2015) ‘Work’, The Informal Media Economy, Cambridge, UK, Polity, pp. 68–88.) What this creates is a combination of formal media platforms, which are inherent to digital age mechanisms, and informal employment that the entrepreneur utilizes. While this amalgamation allows journalistic enterprise to exist in expand in the modern media landscape, it also creates new models of working environments that discard notions of salaries and set work times. What is in motion therefore is a system where entrepreneurs in the field can be exploited which companies offering writers as low as ‘a quarter of a cent’ per-word (Ramon Lobato and Julian Thomas (2015) ‘Work’, The Informal Media Economy, Cambridge, UK, Polity, pp. 68–88.) While criticisms range from ‘unprofessionalizing journalism’ to ‘literary maquiladora’ on freelance enterprise, there is still a debate to be had about the role of freelance culture in our media age, and how its giving opportunities never previously seen in the media sphere.
As the mechanisms of producing journalistic pieces continue to evolve, the genre of enterprise journalism, as it is commonly coined is changing in its practice and execution. Investigative or enterprise journalism and the exposés that result from them are continuing to evolve in the digital age. As the quality and accuracy of enterprise mechanisms improve, the questions arising about ethical integrity also grow. How can organizations ensure their freelance articles are derived from balanced and fair information? Where traditional journalism and it’s code of ethics provided a legal foundation on which reporters and writers alike would base their information, the web 2.0 era sees an abundance of information with no strict guidelines on how to appropriately distribute it, especially if the information contains things that may harm others or interfere with state issues like national security. This relates to the freelance culture most poignantly, as the shift away from employee formats also can symbolize a shift away from ethical codes and regulations. In order to maintain journalistic standards and enjoy the benefits of the freelance economy, this debate over ethical expectations must be resolved.
Journalism is a creative field that has undergone a tremendous amount of change in the face of the digital era that now engulfs modern media. What has resulted from this chasm is journalistic enterprise that symbolizes the innovation present in the industry. Innovative thinking is present throughout the journalistic field, as notions change about creative labor and how to facilitate a growing freelance culture. The commodification of knowledge that accompanied digital economies, gave rise to a high number of freelancers who are able to profit from the rising demand for knowledge. Alternative news outlets were also apart of this shift and proved vital in providing freelancers an avenue on which to write about their interests. These examples exemplify the ways in which journalistic enterprise is transforming traditional notions of information, knowledge and employment, but also bring in to question the possible consequences that might arise from such innovations. Creative labor exploitation and ethical violations may be damaging side effects of journalistic enterprise, but with monitoring and an increased awareness of the risks that may be encountered, this transformed industry may still have the best to come.
References:
(Ramon Lobato and Julian Thomas (2015) ‘Work’, The Informal Media Economy, Cambridge, UK, Polity, pp. 68–88.)
Deuze, M (2009) ‘The Media Logic of Media Work’ Journal of Media Sociology, Vol. 1, Nos. ½.
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer