Leaving the Beat? Chinese Journalists, Precarity, and the Dilemmas of Staying or Moving On

Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 19 Chinese journalists working in a range of employment types—including permanent positions (bianzhi), short- and long-term contracts, internships and freelance work—this study explores how precarious working conditions are perceived and navigated within China’s hybrid media system. It explores (perceived) precarity as a multidimensional phenomenon, shaped by factors such as employment arrangements, salary instability and power dynamics in the workplace. The findings reveal that employees with bianzhi and those on long-term contracts generally feel more secure, but a majority of journalists experience varying degrees of precarity. This precarity is exacerbated by wage volatility and workplace hierarchies. For freelance journalists, perceived precarity is compounded by a lack of institutional support and reliable income. The article argues that precarity is not only an economic experience but also an emotional and cultural one, which plays a significant role in journalists’ career decisions, particularly regarding whether to stay in the profession or leave it for an industry that offers greater security. By highlighting journalists’ perceptions and understanding of precarity in a non-Western media context, this study contributes to broader debates on labour precarity, journalistic professionalism, and media resilience under political and economic pressure.