Freelance Journalism in the Emirati Media Ecosystem: Between Working Precarity, Forced Reality, and [Limited] Personal Choices

What are the working conditions of freelancers in national media organizations? To answer this question, this study investigates the working conditions of freelance journalists in the Emirati media ecosystem. It focuses on the labor situation of freelancers in the national media organizations while exploring issues such as motivations for freelancing, their routines, contractual elements and income, professional challenges, and future opportunities. Self-determination theory (SDT) is used to analyze four dimensions of global freelance journalism. Additionally, SDT interprets the motivations of freelancers for adopting this profession, which are closely linked to their work conditions, the challenges they face, and their choices regarding self-determination in relation to future desires, opportunities, or the realities they must confront. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists working in the U.A.E. and applies a thematic analysis to this data. The paper finds that comparatively, freelancers’ working conditions in the U.A.E. are as precarious as those of their Western peers, especially in contracts held with the national media organizations. The overall results also highlight other challenges encountered by freelancers in this profession. Finally, the paper offers a set of recommendations to enhance freelancing work conditions within the U.A.E.