Media houses must boost work conditions for freelancers

The legacy media landscape in Kenya features an interesting industry anomaly in that 70 per cent of the published content is produced by freelance journalists. These are journalists who are not employed by the media houses they serve but are paid depending on the content they submit and is published.

This arrangement presents professional, ethical and human rights challenges and pitfalls. Yet the media plays a key role in the defence of democracy, human rights and human dignity. The yardstick that they use to measure the performance of the subjects of their stories must equally apply to the industry. Where necessary, they should take corrective action.

Research indicates that Kenyan staff and freelance journalists are fiercely proud of the role they play in society. They love their career choices and are proud of their profession. But freelance journalists face unique challenges. Unlike staff reporters, for example, they often find themselves relying on sources to provide transport to cover events in far-flung areas. This blurs professional boundaries and raises serious ethical concerns.

For instance, a source who is underwriting the transport costs and probably providing a meal or drink may end up having undue influence on the content produced, whether by design or through self-censorship. There is a need, therefore, for media houses to re-examine the material support they provide freelance journalists.

Another concern freelance journalists have to grapple with is personal safety. While safety and security is an issue that affects the entire industry, freelance journalists are impacted more severely by them. Some of them have been attacked in the course of doing their work, leading to loss of equipment such as computers and cameras, effectively putting them out of work for several months.

Female freelance journalists face additional challenges, including odd working hours and sexual harassment from predatory newsroom bosses who often have a say in whether their stories are published or not.

The media industry has been disrupted by technology and is struggling financially. The business model where journalism was supported by advertising is no longer reliable. This is because other key players, such as social media and search engines, compete for the same advertising funds.

As a result, newsrooms have been forced to cut down on costs, which has led to job losses and irregular pay cheques. While acknowledging the uncertain economic times, addressing the challenges of low pay, job insecurity and gender-based discrimination that freelance journalists face is crucial in creating a free and vibrant press.

Prof Chege is a professor of journalism and mass communications and director of the Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media at Kansas State University, USA. [email protected].