I taly, country of poets, saints, navigators and journalists. This is what we think looking at the data presented by the Journalist’s Agenda 2022, the database edited by the Journalistic Documentation Center which annually surveys the communication operators in Italy. In 2021, the number of Italian journalists reached 108,360, while there are 10,350 professionals who carry out press office activities and 10,371 communicators and marketers.
The Order of Journalists, the official society for professional journalists in Italy, reports about 30 thousand members with the qualification of professional journalists (those who practice journalism as their main professional activity) and another 75 thousand publicists (collaborators of newspapers who also carry out other activities, such as the press office).
How many journalists are too many
Finally, the AgCom Journalism Observatory (Authority for the communications warranties), hiding the data of non-professional and retired journalists, estimates about 36,000 active journalists (2018 data), equal to 5/6 journalists each 10 thousand inhabitants.
An average similar to that of France (5.2 per 10,000 inhabitants), much lower than Great Britain (9.6), but enormously higher than the United States (2.8).
Returning to the journalists’ Agenda data, there are 3,444 officially registered newspapers in Italy, with 89 news agencies, 98 newspapers and 745 specialised and technical radio and television publications. There are also 5,633 communication and press office companies throughout Italy.
16 journalists are enough to make a newspaper
In terms of training and skills, the AgCom Observatory highlights that 70% of Italian journalists have a degree, with wide knowledge of foreign languages, mainly English, known at various levels by 99% of professionals, even if only 50% have a B2 level or higher. Digital skills are medium or medium-high in 54.4% of Italian journalists.
The in-depth analysis conducted by AgCom also quantified the average size of the newsrooms in the various media: it ranges from 53 newspaper employees (of which 16 journalists, 35 external collaborators and 2 other professionals) to 21 on TV, up to 9 on the radio. However, within the single type of newspaper there is a huge difference between the national and local newsrooms.
In particular, the local dimension is increasingly characterised by the presence of few employees (5 on average in a local radio), by the dependence on external collaborators and, in many cases, by the purchase of pre-packaged information formats.
The 50% advertising bonus is still valid
In 2018, a tax credit on incremental advertising investments was implemented, with a minimum increase of 1% compared to the investments made in the previous year by institutions and companies in the press (daily newspapers and periodicals, local and national, paper and online) and on local radio and television broadcasters.
In 2020, with the Covid-19 crisis, the tax credit was granted in the single measure of 50% of the value of the investments made and the requirement of a minimum increase of 1% compared to the previous year investments has therefore been eliminated. This measure is valid for three years so it also covers the advertising investments in the press made during 2022.