Journalists and the Fair Compensation Law: Statement from the National Federation of the Press

The National Federation of the Press (FNSI), through an official communication, expresses satisfaction at the approval in the Culture Committee of the Chamber of the law on fair compensation which concerns numerous journalists. The law on fair compensation has been followed by the same FNSI Autonomous Work Commission which is directly involved, given the large number of freelance journalists who are increasingly forced to accept disrespectful and unworthy compensation.

Below is the official note praising the initiative which, however, is not yet definitive as the process requires the law on fair compensation to receive the same treatment in the Senate as well.

“The law on fair compensation for autonomous collaborating journalists, just approved legislatively in the Culture Committee of the Chamber, is an excellent step forward for recognizing the equal moral and material dignity of all journalistic work, regardless of the conditions in which it is carried out. It is also an act of regaining freedom and professional autonomy—something increasingly essential in a time when journalism is being asked, more than ever, not to remain silent about what citizens need to know in order to ensure their right to knowledge, and to foster knowledge and critical thinking.
Freelance and precarious journalists—too often forced into exploitative individual contracts and starvation wages—are today placed in a difficult situation: poverty and fear create a condition of non-freedom.
That is why the measure passed today by the Culture Committee of the Chamber has the full support of the National Federation of the Press, which, through specific union work carried out by its autonomous labor commission, has for years been fighting for the dignity of all types of journalism, despite the obstacles it has faced until now. It is important that all journalistic organizations are involved in this initiative and have gained the support of groups from civil society and associations such as Articolo21 and movements of precarious workers.
It is significant that the law on fair compensation, introduced by the President of the Chamber’s Labour Committee, Honorable Moffa, signed by all political groups, and drafted in a text shared by rapporteur Enzo Carra, stems from a parliamentary initiative and is the result of discussion and participation with all components of the professional information sector. This is a useful method. And, in a case like this, it also shows how, when there is serious and concrete commitment to the substance, it is possible to find the right solutions within a reasonable timeframe to address issues that have festered due to years of inertia.
The Fnsi now hopes that the same capacity for dialogue and agreement seen in the Chamber will continue institutionally in the Senate and that, soon, a vote can be held to make the law definitive and effective.
In these times of crisis for the publishing industry and loss of many jobs, bringing clarity and fairness to every form of journalistic work is an essential guideline for social partners, especially publishers, so that autonomous work is recognized not only in terms of individual rights but also collective ones. At the same time, the aim is to provide the publishing industry with a framework of rules that guarantee fair competition and, consequently, a useful opportunity to pursue higher editorial challenges in the name of quality.”