Journalism faces precarity and class barriers across Europe, favoring privileged backgrounds despite low pay.
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Journalism often involves a period of financial instability, which is sometimes exacerbated by viewing the profession as a personal mission. Experiences across Europe reveal that pursuing journalism is increasingly linked to social class and financial means. In countries like Spain, journalism is considered a luxury requiring external financial support. In France and Italy, access to the profession is heavily influenced by expensive educational routes, such as prestigious schools and master’s programs, which favor those with existing social and cultural capital. Despite initiatives aimed at promoting equality, such as free preparatory courses in France, systemic barriers persist, including discrimination and the lack of public job postings. Paradoxically, while entry into journalism often requires a privileged background, the profession itself is characterized by low pay and precarious contracts, leading to a decline in its social prestige. This trend is also noted in countries like Croatia, where journalists are often underpaid.
