Awareness of and experience with online outsourcing journalism labor markets: A benchmark study of freelance journalists

Online outsourcing markets (OOMs), those sites that connect buyers and sellers of digital labor, have grown dramatically, attracting a global cadre of freelance workers. Journalism OOMs are beginning to have an impact on the buying and selling of freelance journalism. This paper is an exploration of early effects, reporting findings of a survey (n=453) of freelance journalists who use OOMs and those who don't, or don't yet. The paper reviews recent scholarship on OOMs and freelance journalists. Freelance journalists were asked about their awareness of and experience with journalism OOMs. Considering OOMs only recently started diffusing, analysis shows a relatively high level of awareness and use of OOMs, plus perceptions about their value for obtaining work, working conditions and monetary and intrinsic rewards.