Dear colleague,

In late February this year, we carried out an informal survey of freelance journalists in India. The questionnaire itself was ad hoc, but the trends were clear—most freelance journalists in this country are perceived to be the stepchildren of the Indian news media.

Though some indications are there, we want to come up with concrete numbers. Hence, this—the first ever research study about the status of freelance journalists in India. We want to look at job (in)security, payment defaulters, general working conditions, legal frameworks, copyrights, arm-twisting tactics of news establishments, et al. And for this, we need just 15 minutes of one's time.

If you are a freelance journalist, please follow this link: http://surveys.newswatch.in/index.php?sid=84996&lang=en

The identities of all respondents would be kept confidential.

Regards and best wishes.

Subir Ghosh

Newswatch India