Navigating the freelance life: How perceptions of newswork mediate work-related stressors of self-employed journalists

This study explores how Dutch self-employed journalists’ perceptions of what newswork is moderate or exacerbate three health-compromising stressors they experience on the job: lack of reciprocity, low organizational justice and high work demands. An inductive analysis of 47 semi-structured interviews with both earlier and later career Dutch self-employed journalists suggests that a traditional newsroom-centric perception of journalism is related to experiencing languish on the job. On the other hand, freelance reporters with a more flexible or “liquidˮ perception of newswork are related to flourishing in today’s complex, multi-platform news industry. As such, this research appreciates how the precarious organization of work for many in the news industry shapes and influences freelancers’ perceptions of newswork as well as their well-being. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of our findings for journalism studies and education.