Precarious labour: digital transformations of UK newspaper journalism

Digitisation, the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working, and artificial intelligence (AI) have profoundly reshaped local journalism in the UK. These structural shifts have led to widespread newsroom closures, workforce reductions, and the decline of traditional newspapers, detaching journalists from the communities they serve. Institutional imperatives have redefined journalistic roles, exacerbated job insecurity, and intensified professional precarity. This study examines how local journalists navigate these transformations, their strategies, and their precarity experiences. In-depth interviews with 26 local journalists reveal that digitalisation and digital-first strategy have resulted in job losses, diminished community engagement, and an increased reliance on social media and digital platforms for news production. Speed and cost-effectiveness have overtaken traditional reporting values, fundamentally altering the profession. The findings highlight that utilising digital technologies and AI-driven changes disproportionately disadvantages older journalists, contributing to ageism and the marginalisation of experienced professionals. Moreover, newsroom closures initiated during the pandemic have been permanent, forcing journalists to work remotely, often in inadequate home environments which can lack proper infrastructure. These conditions hinder journalists’ ability to uphold journalistic standards. Financial instability is a pervasive issue. Due to persistently low wages, most interviewees, predominantly from working-class backgrounds, struggle to meet basic living costs. Many have been compelled to relocate from urban centres to more affordable but geographically distant areas, further disconnecting them from their reporting beats. Additionally, declining confidence in trade unions, driven by financial constraints, has left journalists with limited avenues for collective bargaining, deepening their vulnerability. This study contributes to a critical understanding of UK local journalism’s structural challenges. It offers insights into shifting professional identities, economic instability, and the broader implications of an industry in crisis, highlighting the urgent need for systemic interventions to safeguard the future of the profession.