From an economic point of view, the survey revealed that 45% of journalists earn less than $3 million per month. Of these, 13% are paid minimum wage or less. More women (18%) earn less than the minimum wage, compared to men (11%). There is only 21% of respondents who earn more than $5 million and this income is earned by more men (22%) than women (18%).
According to this and information revealed by this investigation, journalists have high educational preparation, but earn little. Access to information and the environment for freedom of expression do not improve according to the figures collected, because the defamation of leaders and officials against these professionals grew. The most serious error in journalism, as revealed by the interpreters of the results, is to publish information for political or commercial interests and to use misleading headlines.
What other results did this investigation throw?
In the last year it has been noted that access to public information has not improved nor have attacks against freedom of expression diminished. Attacks against editors increased from 12 to 16% in recent years. And between 2016 and 2023 the stigma, defamation of journalists by leaders and officials rose from 27% to 37%, according to the document.
Newsrooms present novelties such as the incorporation of the information verifier (63%) to control false or misleading news, while a large percentage of journalists (62%) use strategic silence as a formula to deal with disinformation .
Among the bad practices diagnosed in this survey, are the information for political or commercial interests (42%) -, the modification of editorial positions for an advertising guideline (48%).
Who conducted this survey on Freedom of Expression?
The survey was the product of joint work carried out by the Circle of Journalists of Bogotá (CPB), the Foundation for Freedom of the Press (Flip), the Gabo Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Information Media Association (AMI), the National Association of Media Communication (Asomedios), Colombian Federation of Journalists (Fecolper) and Figures & Concepts. He had the advice of the researcher Germán Rey and the television critic Ómar Rincón.
The questionnaire was applied by the firm Cifras y Conceptos to 585 journalists, including directors, editors, writers, union managers and columnists from different regions of the country.
What should the media and journalists do? According to the results of the survey, both cannot forget their social, informative, guidance and training responsibility. They must work ethically, guarantee transparency and high quality in information content, not overlook the fact that the information must be verified and open more channels for citizen participation by encouraging feedback.. It is considered that the media should have an audience defender and a citizen oversight mechanism when there are mistakes or tensions regarding the content of their publications.