Media quality is under threat because of a failure of investment and resources. Urgent action is needed to improve staffing levels, workloads, resources and budgets, to enable journalists and all who work with them to continue producing high quality output. The Stand up for Journalism campaign highlights a social and professional crisis in modern journalism.

"When trade unions of journalists speak out so strongly, every one of us should be concerned about the threat to democracy we face," said ETUC General Secretary John Monks. "Decent jobs and protected working conditions are essential if we are to maintain standards of free expression, pluralism and ethical journalism."

The social crisis is seen in the precarious nature of journalistic work today. The scandal of low pay and unprotected jobs is evident in every country where there are rising numbers of people forced out of regular, full-time employment into casual work with little or no social protection.

The professional crisis is caused by cuts in editorial budgets that have compromised editorial standards, and slashed the time and research allowed for journalists to do their work.

Today, journalists’ unions and associations are calling for action, within journalism and the media, to turn the tide of indifference and to rebuild public confidence in reliable, informed and professional journalism, as an essential component of democracy in Europe. As quality falls, people no longer trust the media to represent their interests. Journalists are determined to reclaim the ethical values of their profession, to tell their employers that the cuts in jobs and standards have got to stop and to warn governments of the threat to democracy when they challenge journalists’ ethical rights.

By standing up for their rights, journalists are also standing up for civil liberties and fundamental human rights.