Examining Discrimination and Violence against Minority Journalists in Belgium

Only a few researchers in Belgium have recently been focusing on minority journalists (e.g. Louazon, E. 2024. “Combattre les assignations à l’engagement: Stratégies de résistance de journalistes minorisé. es.” Sur le journalisme, About journalism, Sobre jornalismo 13 (1): 78–95) to understand their relationship to journalism, their work experience and the assignments to which they are subjected in a professional context, particularly in newsrooms. The situation of minority journalists needs to be situated in a national and international context of weakening employment conditions, increasing violence against journalists, clearer expressions of feelings of unease at work, and experiences of discrimination in the working environment. Based on the results of a national survey of Belgian journalists, the aim of this paper is therefore to uncover: (a) the employment inequalities experienced by minority journalists in terms of professional status, working arrangements, income, access to managerial functions and promotions; (b) the public and workplace violence experienced by minority journalists in the exercise of their profession. Our findings enable us, for the first time, to provide a more objective description of their professional situations based on empirical data, and ultimately to examine issues of inequality.