Plan B: the abandonment of journalism in Portugal

• Author(s): Matos, José
• Date: 2022
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/50890
• Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
• Document Type: Book part
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto da ULisboa

Description

In recent years, journalism in Portugal has faced significant structural changes, particularly in terms of employment and working conditions. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the relationship between job loss and re-employment in Portuguese journalism. Job terminations may result from forced redundancies, through the non-renewal of temporary work contracts or the removal of permanent staff. Alternatively, they may be instigated by journalists, whether through resignations, including company buyout programs, or by way of voluntary non-renewals, in the case of precarious workers. The main argument presented in this chapter is that the form of job termination, along with age difference, plays a significant role in influencing the coping process in dealing with the aftermath of job loss and, ultimately, the job prospects on offer. The research follows a biographical approach, centred on professional trajectories, developed through semi-structured interviews with 28 ex-journalists.