Precarious Professionalism: Journalism and the Fragility of Professional Practice in the Global South

Abstract

Many suggest that the process of precarity is now a common feature of contemporary journalism. Still, precarity is introduced often from a western point of view and assessed according to an underlying assumption of full and permanent employment as being the norm. This view of precarity contrasts with the precarious conditions that are found in the global south. This paper recognises these differences and in turn puts forward the concept of “precarious professionalism” to assess their presence and impact. Precariousness is explored therefore in a study of 15 journalists working in the developing democracy of Nigeria. The analysed interviews reveal journalists’ experiences of “precarious professionalism” as based in “fragile professionalism”, “ingrained in-job instability” and as incorporated within challenges to both their “professional and personal selves”. The paper concludes that these factors not only provide a more robust understanding of the general situation common in non-western contexts, but they show what must be addressed to help to rebuild professionalism in the case of Nigeria.