ABSTRACT
This chapter explains partial inventory of the motivations and aspirations compelling digital journalists to organize. It explores that the reasons for seeking union representation are as varied as the outlets involved; pay, for example, may be a primary motivating factor in one newsroom and not pressing in another. The chapter discusses to trace the process of unionization, focusing on the period prior to journalists formally initiating union drives, and gives insight into working conditions in digital media. It describes patterns in journalists’ sources of frustration, grievances that are frequently articulated as endemic to the digital media industry. Digital journalists are organizing to improve the terms and conditions of their employment and to gain increased control over their work and craft. Journalists describe the material conditions and workplace culture in digital newsrooms on a spectrum, ranging from “horrible” to largely decent but needing improvement.
