Unpacking Media Precarity in Turkey: Causes, Consequences, and Journalists’ Perceptions

This study examines the precarization of media work in Turkey, focusing on the root causes and how journalists perceive and respond to labor insecurity and precariousness within an authoritarian context. Based on interviews with 50 journalists from various professional backgrounds, media outlets, and employment types, it explores both structural and individual factors driving precarity in Turkey’s media landscape. For journalists, financial issues overshadow legal pressures and even safety threats when discussing working conditions. Limited enforcement of press laws and restrictions on union rights emerge as key contributors to the precarity process. By developing Rick and Hanitzch’s precarity in journalism model, this study offers a more comprehensive understanding of precarity, its causes, and its implications. Findings show that precarious work is not limited to freelancers, oppositional media, or other marginalized labor groups but includes diverse employment types, undermining labor rights and affecting journalists’ perceptions of job stability. The research also adds to existing literature by providing empirical evidence that clarifies how political and economic forces intersect to create “political precarity” in Turkey.