The decline of traditional advertising revenue has gutted the financial foundation of media organisations. With advertisers favouring low-cost, wide-reach digital outlets over quality journalism, newsrooms face chronic underfunding, leading to widespread layoffs, wage cuts, and the replacement of stable roles with insecure “freelance” or gig-based contracts. This precarity hits women, gender-diverse journalists, and those from cultural or religious minorities hardest, as they already face systemic discrimination in hiring, pay, and workplace safety.
The erosion of decent employment in the media is not just a labour issue; it is a democratic crisis. Good journalism is a key guardrail against misinformation, corruption, and authoritarianism, providing the public with verified information essential for informed civic participation. In countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, journalists investigating corruption, environmental destruction, or military abuses have faced violence, including targeted killings and legal harassment. The defunding and job insecurity in professional media structures further embolden those seeking to silence dissent. Without secure, well-funded media workers, democratic spaces shrink, and the public’s right to know is replaced by unchecked power and propaganda.
More Organising, More Wins
Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA is partnering with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliates in the Philippines and Indonesia – the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, (NUJP); the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Union of Media and Creative Industry Workers for Democracy (Sindikasi) – to campaign for improve working conditions in the media sector and therefore, strengthen democratic capacity.
Since late 2025, AJI and Sindikasi have joined forces to tackle the challenges facing media workers. Together, they’ve conducted in-depth research, including national assessments of working conditions and reviews of union capacity, to shape effective campaign strategies, with special attention to gender equality and disability inclusion.
This work is already making an impact. The organisations have engaged in direct discussions with the Ministry of Manpower, helping policymakers better understand journalists’ daily struggles. They’ve also developed a ‘Labour School’ program to train worker activists, equipping them with the skills to advocate for their rights. At the same time, they’re rolling out targeted campaigns to support workers with insecure employment -those most at risk of exploitation- ensuring an inclusive approach to advancing decent work outcomes.
By partnering with groups such as the Indonesian Women’s Alliance and the Labour and People Movement, Sindikasi launched a powerful social media campaign to challenge the stigma surrounding menstrual leave and secure basic rights for freelance and short-term workers. In just the last two months of 2025, the campaign reached over 3,000 people, boosting public awareness of reproductive rights in the workplace. The union saw its membership grow by 38%, with 65% of new members being women and 54% freelance journalists, showing how these issues resonate deeply with marginalised workers.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, NUJP has also defined, in its strategic planning, a collaborative approach to advocacy. Recognising that media workers face shared economic struggles, the union has expanded its focus beyond traditional journalism. This shift led to the creation of a new ‘Iloilo chapter’, where the majority of members are women and young workers, uniting around the fight for decent livelihoods and fair conditions.
Journalists’ Rights as a Global Struggle
Media workers in Southeast Asia have faced declining working conditions, but by recognising the strength of diverse voices, the IFJ and its affiliates in Indonesia and the Philippines have flipped the script on vulnerability.
The priorities of women, young workers, and those in precarious working conditions sit at the heart of union struggles. In 2026, media unions will advance national campaigns to best support them.
By forming coalitions between media workers and other social movements, targeted training union activists in labour law and campaigning, and enhancing diverse leadership for bargaining, journalists’ unions are increasing their membership capacity to hold employers -including large corporations- and decision-makers accountable across the region.
Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA supports the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in partnership with the Australian Government through Partnerships for Decent Work in the Indo-Pacific (PDWIP).
