Labor Precarity and Gig Journalism in Latin America

Abstract

Labor precarity has historically been a distinctive, troubling aspect of journalism in Latin America, just as labor precarity has become widespread generally in the region, primarily due to the implementation of neoliberal policies such as deregulation and privatization since the 1980s. Precarity is reflected in decimated newsrooms, appallingly low salaries, lack of benefits, reporters who hold multiple jobs and are expected to file numerous stories daily and weekly on range of issues. Exploring these issues across several countries in Latin America, this chapter suggests that weak trade unions, outdated labor laws, and the absence of tax laws that could mitigate the worst effects of the crisis have made journalists more vulnerable. While digital news opened job opportunities in the past two decades, digital labor conditions, including salaries and job expectations, are generally worse than in legacy newsrooms.

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