More than one third of journalists in Ireland (34 per cent) have faced legal action of some form in the last five years, according to the findings of a new study.
The study, from the DCU School of Communications, also found more than half of journalists had suffered demeaning or hateful speech towards them.
Almost half of journalists also said they were concerned about their emotional/mental wellbeing.
Seventy-one per cent of women were “often” or “very often” stressed, compared with 49 per cent of men. Younger journalists were more likely to be stressed "often" or "very often".
“The results in our report show many positives in terms of journalists' autonomy, independence, and physical safety, but there are worrying findings, too,” said study authors Professor Kevin Rafter and Dr Dawn Wheatley.
"The gender pay gap remains a problem, especially at the higher levels. There are also concerns around the composition of the workforce, particularly the middle-class profile.
“Journalists' own experiences and values inevitably shape to some extent what they prioritise and how they cover certain topics, so it is very important that the sector does not reflect only the priorities and interests of a narrow group in the Irish population.”
Journalists in Ireland have a “clear left-of-centre position”, with 61.5 per cent of journalists saying they identify themselves as leaning to the left of the centre of the political spectrum. There are 8.5 per cent who identify themselves as towards the right of the political specturm.
“Nevertheless, the survey also shows that journalists remain committed to being 'detached' observers, with 71 per cent saying this is very/extremely important to their work,” the researchers said.
While most journalists said they have a great level of freedom in the topics they cover, the report highlighted "long-standing concerns" about media law.
Sinn Féin has faced criticism after TD Chris Andrews took a legal case against The Irish Times and its political journalist Harry McGee.
The researchers added: “Elsewhere, structural constraints, such as media laws in Ireland, commercial pressure, and social media guidelines within news organisations, can also put huge pressure on journalists.
“Our report shows that these pressures affect not only how they do their job, but how they feel about working as a journalist in Ireland.”
