site.btaStudy Shows Numbers of Journalists in Bulgaria Down

There is a serious decline in the number of journalists in Bulgaria, according to an Alpha Research survey, which looks into the changes and trends among journalists between 2016 and 2022. It was carried out from the end of 2021 until April 2022 among 391 Bulgarian journalists, said on Friday the Workshop for Civil Initiatives Foundation, which financed the project.

Data from the National Statistical Institute show that from 5,800 in 2016 the number of journalists dropped to 3,800 in 2020. The survey shows that from 2016 until last year the journalist profession became riskier. Other trends, outlined by the survey are, are a near doubling of the journalists who are freelancers and increase in their average age.

According to 73.7% of respondents there are corruption practices in Bulgarian media, and nearly as many think that their ownership is untransparent. Some examples of corruption include a fee for information services, work-for-hire articles, deliberately omitting topics, bribes, gifts, pressure, etc

Nearly one in two of the respondents said that they are concerned about their emotional and psychological health, and one in three about their physical health. Some 16% said that they are worried that they may lose their job in the next 12 months.

The study is part of an international study, Worlds of Journalism. Its main objective is to help journalism researchers, media practitioners and policy makers better understand the worldviews and changes that are taking place in the professional views of journalists, the conditions and limitations under which journalists operate, and the social functions of journalism in a changing world. The study is hosted at LMU Munich and is funded by multiple organizations.