Not everyone who works for a publication is a journalist in the legal sense — and those who are fall under their own statute rather than Labour Law No. 4857. Article 1 of Law No. 5953 gives the definition in a single sentence: those working for a wage in the intellectual and artistic work covered by this Law are called journalists.
The Definition Has Two Legs
The sentence is short but carries two conditions, and both must be met.
| Condition | Content |
|---|---|
| Nature of the work | It must be intellectual and artistic work — that is, outside the definition of "worker" in the Labour Law |
| Where the person works | They must work at one of the organisations listed in the article |
The second leg is a list, and it was widened in 2022. The organisations within scope are:
- Newspapers
- Internet news sites — added by Law No. 7418, in force from 18/10/2022
- Periodicals
- News and photo agencies
Who Is Outside the Scope? (Art. 2)
Article 2 creates an exception: even where Article 1 would otherwise apply, civil servants and public employees working at the following are not covered by this Law:
- The State, provinces and municipalities
- State economic enterprises and their establishments
- Companies more than half of whose capital belongs to those enterprises
The practical meaning: someone employed as a civil servant or public employee at a publicly-owned media organisation does not benefit from the pay, leave and severance regime of Law 5953 even if their job is producing news — their own personnel legislation applies instead.
Support Staff: The Scope of Additional Article 1
Those working in printing plants, administrative offices and back offices are dealt with separately. Additional Article 1 brings within the working-time rules those who work continuously, by the nature of their duties, in places such as the establishment, the printing plant, the administrative office and the back office.
In other words, people who fall within the Article 1 definition of journalist and who work continuously in those places are subject to the 8-hour day and the overtime provisions. We cover this in the working time article.
Why This Classification Is a Money Question
Whether a person falls under Law 5953 or Law 4857 changes the amount you pay. The three clearest differences:
| Subject | Law 5953 (journalist) | Law 4857 (worker) |
|---|---|---|
| Seniority | From first entry into the profession — total service in the profession | Service with the same employer |
| Annual leave | 4 weeks; 6 weeks after more than 10 years in the profession | 14–26 days by seniority |
| Overtime | 50% premium; hours after 00:00 at double | 50% premium |
We have collected the full comparison in the differences table.
Bottom Line
A journalist is a person doing intellectual and artistic work for a wage at a newspaper, internet news site, periodical or news/photo agency. Since 18/10/2022 internet news site staff are included. Civil servants and public employees of public bodies are outside the scope under Article 2.
How the contract is formed is covered in the written contract article, and the probation period in the probation article.