In the shifting sands of the digital age, journalism has become both more accessible and more precarious.
The democratisation of information through online platforms has empowered voices across the globe, yet it has simultaneously destabilised the economic foundations of the profession.
At the heart of this paradox lies a phenomenon that is increasingly shaping the lives of journalists: moonlighting.
Once whispered about in corridors and dismissed as a breach of professional ethics, moonlighting has now emerged as a survival strategy for many journalists struggling to reconcile their passion for truth-telling with the harsh realities of financial insecurity.
This article explores the rise of moonlighting in digital journalism with assertiveness, exposing its causes, consequences, and implications for the credibility of the profession.
The Economic Precarity of Newsrooms
The decline of traditional advertising revenue, the collapse of print circulation, and the relentless competition from digital platforms have left newsrooms across the world in financial disarray. Journalists, once assured of stable salaries and long-term contracts, now find themselves grappling with short-term gigs, freelance assignments, and shrinking pay packets.
In Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and other parts of Africa, the situation is particularly dire. Journalists lament that their “take-home pay can hardly take them home,” a phrase that encapsulates the desperation of professionals forced to seek secondary employment.
The digital revolution promised liberation, but it has instead ushered in an era of precarity. Online journalism, while vibrant and innovative, often fails to provide sustainable income.
The gig economy has infiltrated the newsroom, transforming journalism into a portfolio career rather than a singular vocation.
For many, moonlighting is not a choice but a necessity, a means of survival in a profession that no longer guarantees financial stability.
The Digital Age and the Flexibility of Work
The rise of remote work and digital platforms has made moonlighting more feasible than ever before. Journalists can now juggle multiple roles, from freelance writing to public relations, content creation, or even corporate communications, without leaving their homes.
The boundaries between professional journalism and other forms of digital labour have blurred, creating hybrid identities that challenge traditional notions of journalistic integrity.
This flexibility, while empowering, comes at a cost. Journalists who moonlight risk diluting their focus, compromising their credibility, and eroding the trust of their audiences.
The digital age has created opportunities for diversification, but it has also intensified the ethical dilemmas that accompany moonlighting.
Ethical and Professional Tensions
Moonlighting raises profound ethical questions. Journalists who take on secondary jobs in public relations or corporate communications risk conflicts of interest that undermine their neutrality. The credibility of journalism rests on the perception of independence, yet moonlighting threatens to erode this foundation.
Professional codes of conduct discourage moonlighting, emphasising the importance of impartiality and integrity.
However, the lived reality of journalists often diverges from these ideals. Economic necessity forces compromises, creating a gap between normative standards and practical survival.
The tension between ethics and economics is at the heart of the moonlighting debate, exposing the fragility of journalism in the digital age.
Comparative Contexts: Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Beyond
In Nigeria’s Southwest, shrinking newsroom budgets and the rise of online journalism have driven journalists to seek secondary employment.
The result is a profession marked by burnout, ethical compromise, and declining quality of reporting. In Zimbabwe, the economic crisis has exacerbated the problem, with journalists illicitly incorporating extra paid work into their routines. Globally, the digital era has normalised portfolio careers, with professionals diversifying their income streams through freelance work, consulting, and digital content creation.
The consequences, however, are universal. Credibility suffers, audiences question independence, and the profession risks losing its moral authority.
Moonlighting is both a symptom of systemic exploitation and a strategy for resilience, reflecting the complex realities of journalism in the digital age.
Redefining Professionalism in Journalism
The rise of moonlighting challenges traditional definitions of professionalism. Journalism is no longer a singular vocation but part of a broader portfolio of work.
This redefinition raises questions about the future of the profession. Can journalism maintain its credibility if practitioners are simultaneously engaged in other forms of labour? Can audiences trust journalists who moonlight in industries that may influence their reporting?
The answers are complex. On one hand, moonlighting fosters creativity, resilience, and adaptability. On the other, it exposes systemic exploitation and undermines the integrity of journalism. The profession must grapple with these contradictions, seeking ways to balance survival with credibility.
Audience Trust at Stake
Trust is the currency of journalism. Without it, the profession loses its relevance and authority. Moonlighting threatens this trust by creating perceptions of bias and conflict of interest.
Audiences increasingly question whether journalists are independent or influenced by secondary employers.
In the digital age, where misinformation and disinformation proliferate, the erosion of trust is particularly dangerous. Journalism must stand as a bulwark against falsehood, yet moonlighting risks weakening this defence.
The profession must confront the challenge of maintaining credibility in the face of economic insecurity.
Innovation versus Exploitation
Moonlighting can be seen as both innovation and exploitation. On one hand, it reflects the adaptability of journalists who diversify their income streams and embrace new opportunities. On the other, it exposes the systemic exploitation of professionals forced to compromise their integrity for survival.
The digital age has intensified this paradox. AI-driven content, influencer economies, and creator platforms have created new avenues for income, but they have also heightened competition and instability. Moonlighting is both a necessity and a liability, a strategy that reveals the fragility of journalism in the digital age.
The Human Cost of Moonlighting
Beyond ethics and economics, moonlighting exerts a profound toll on the mental health and well-being of journalists, reshaping the very spirit of the profession. The constant balancing of multiple jobs inevitably leads to fatigue, burnout, and a noticeable decline in the quality of reporting. What was once a vocation rooted in passion for truth-telling is increasingly reduced to a struggle for survival, where the pursuit of integrity is compromised by the relentless pressure to make ends meet.
This erosion of journalistic vitality is not merely a professional concern, but a human one, for journalists are individuals whose well-being directly sustains the credibility and resilience of the media. The rise of moonlighting, therefore, demands urgent recognition of its human cost. It exposes the pressing need for systemic reforms that confront the economic insecurity of journalism, ensuring that survival does not eclipse the noble calling of truth and accountability.
Conclusion
Moonlighting in digital journalism is both a symptom and a strategy. It reveals the fragility of media economics in the digital age, while also highlighting the resilience of journalists who adapt to new realities. The challenge lies in balancing survival with integrity, ensuring that making ends meet does not compromise the making of news.
The rise of moonlighting demands urgent attention from media organisations, policymakers, and society at large. Journalism must be redefined to reflect the realities of the digital age, but it must also safeguard its credibility and moral authority.
The profession cannot afford to lose the trust of its audiences, for trust is the foundation upon which journalism stands.
As digital journalism continues to evolve, moonlighting will remain a contentious issue. It is a phenomenon that exposes the contradictions of the digital age, challenging the profession to reconcile ethics with economics, passion with survival, and integrity with adaptability.
The future of journalism depends on how these contradictions are resolved.
