Entrepreneurs and Idealists

The number of freelancers and self-employed journalists has been increasing across the Western world, while the media crisis has made it even more difficult to gain permanent employment in newsrooms. This article helps to shed light on the professional role of freelance journalists using the conceptual model of two different types of freelancers: entrepreneurs and idealists. Furthermore, the article discusses the tension between the autonomy and freedom a freelancer experiences, versus the constraints of income insecurity. The discussion is based on qualitative interviews with 15 Norwegian freelance journalists.