Portuguese journalists do not have many reasons to complain about job security, when it comes to legal dispositions. But, in practical terms, the economic structural weakness of most media industries and the actual crisis play a major role when it comes to assessing their effective security. Apart from the legal guarantees, the day-by-day routine in concrete media companies shows that, according to multiple sources, things are becoming increasingly difficult for journalists, and this leads to silence and resignation rather than to confrontation and a struggle for one’s rights. “It’s better to try to avoid problems than to be involved in a long process in a court of law”, as was said by a seasoned journalist at a major newspaper.
In the past three years, all of the most important Portuguese news media downsized their newsrooms, dismissing dozens of journalists – some of them, but not all, through friendly negotiations. Between 2007 and 2009, more than 400 journalists lost their jobs. The fear of being the next to be chosen somehow spreads and invites more passive behaviour. With this scenario, it is increasingly difficult for young people to find a new job in the media. Because hundreds of them leave the universities every year, the competition is very strong. Therefore, it is not difficult to find someone who will accept precarious labour conditions (Graça 2007), usually in the form of short-term contracts (or no contracts at all).
