In France, published rates for start at €2,604.30 a month on staff, with €55–€69.38 a feuillet as a freelance.
On staff
€2,604.30 a month
Freelance
€55–€69.38 a feuillet
Sources
5 documents
Pay rates for journalists in France, as published by unions, governments and surveys, each quoted as printed and turned into a day's pay to compare. How the pay guide works →
Each published rate as a day's pay
On staff · 7 figures
€200 a year
€25 an hour
Freelance · 5 figures
€103.82 a day
€150 a day
Trainees and interns · 1 figure
€1,900 a month
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On staff | Reuse in the title beyond the reference period and via press reviews and aggregators | €200 a year | $0.86 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 20 Dec 2021 |
| On staff | Reuse in other Rossel group publications | €550 a year | $2.37 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 20 Dec 2021 |
| On staff | Staff, editorial production, position 2.1 (coefficient 155): monthly minimum | €2,604.30 a month | $145.93 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jul 2025 |
| On staff | Journalists, at the start of the contract | €2,442–€3,658 a month | $157.76 | WageIndicator · Survey |
| On staff | Journalists, after 5 years, 35-hour week | €2,564–€3,879 a month | $166.63 | WageIndicator · Survey |
| On staff | Journalists, salary range | €2,442–€5,549 a month | $206.67 | WageIndicator · Survey |
| On staff | Desk (SR) shift per hour (2022), incl. precarity bonus | €25 an hour | $224.14 | Paye ta pige · Crowdsourced list · 1 Jan 2022 |
| Freelance | Agences audiovisuelles, Cas 1 - reporter vidéo ou JRI, la journée | €103.82 a day | $116.35 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Sep 2025 |
| Freelance | Cas 1, la journée si le JRI assure également le commentaire | €119.40 a day | $133.81 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Sep 2025 |
| Freelance | Cas 2 : reporter vidéo ou JRI, la journée | €134.97 a day | $151.26 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Sep 2025 |
| Freelance | Agences photographiques, reporter photo, journée | €146 a day | $163.62 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Sep 2025 |
| Freelance | Photo commission day (2019) | €150 a day | $168.11 | Paye ta pige · Crowdsourced list · 1 Jan 2019 |
| Trainees and interns | Trainee, position 1.1 (coefficient 110): monthly minimum | €1,900 a month | $106.47 | SNJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jul 2025 |
Advertised pay in France
Open marketWhat employers offered in public job ads over the last 12 months, from 7 job ads with pay. These figures come from the open job market, not from journalist.net, and we do not check them.
ReporterOn staff
€36,500 a year
Journalism jobs in France →
The middle figure of the ads for each job, with the middle half of them. Shown only where at least 3 employers posted ads with pay and none posted more than half of them.
Journalism in France
Leading news outlets
Le Figaro
Ouest France
Le Monde
L'Équipe
BFMTV
20minutes
Ladepeche
Franceinfo
Foot Mercato
Le Parisien
lindependant.fr
journaldesfemmes.fr
The highest-ranked news sites based in France in EventRegistry's news-source ranking, most important first. Updated monthly.
Press freedom
25
/ 180
Satisfactory
In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), France ranks 25 of 180, with a score of 76.7 out of 100. The same rank as the year before.
RSF World Press Freedom Index ↗By job type
SNJ · Agences de presse écrite, rédacteur-reporter, feuillet de 1 500 signes€60 Feuillet (1,500 characters)
SNJ · Agences radio, fourniture d'un son€47 Piece or item
SNJ · Feuillet (1,500 characters), print piges only€62 Feuillet (1,500 characters)
SPIIL · Feuillet, gross€55 Feuillet (1,500 characters)
Reporter in France, every figure →
SNJ · Agences audiovisuelles, Cas 1 - reporter vidéo ou JRI, la journée€103.82 Day
SNJ · Cas 1, la journée si le JRI assure également le commentaire€119.40 Day
SNJ · Cas 2 : reporter vidéo ou JRI, la journée€134.97 Day
Paye ta pige · Package: article (about 800 words) + 6–7 minute video + about 20 photos, invoiced€600 Assignment
Video journalist in France, every figure →
SNJ · Agences photographiques, reporter photo, journée€146 Day
SNJ · Press photographer: camera allowance€79.16
Paye ta pige · Photo commission day (2019)€150 Day
Paye ta pige · Photo used full page (2019)€200 Image
Photographer in France, every figure →
SNJ · Reuse in the title beyond the reference period and via press reviews and aggregators€200 Year
SNJ · Reuse in other Rossel group publications€550 Year
WageIndicator · Journalists, salary range€2,442–€5,549 Month
WageIndicator · Journalists, at the start of the contract€2,442–€3,658 Month
Journalist in France, every figure →
SNJ · Cartoonist: each accepted drawing€105.03 Image
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Paye ta pige · Desk (SR) shift per hour (2022), incl. precarity bonus€25 Hour
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Rates documents 12
AFP foreign correspondent package rate, Paye ta pige (2026) · Paye ta pige · 2
Jeune Afrique pige rates, Paye ta pige (2018–2024) · Paye ta pige · 5
Journalist salary range in France, WageIndicator 2026 · WageIndicator · 3
L'Aisne Nouvelle company agreement on journalists' reuse rights, Dec 2021 · SNJ20 Dec 2021 · 2
Minimum gross pige rates at French news agencies, 1 Sep 2025 · SNJ1 Sep 2025 · 6
Minimum pige rate for French magazines, 1 Sep 2025 · SNJ1 Sep 2025 · 1
Minimum pige rate for independent online press (SPIIL members), 1 Sep 2025 and 1 Apr 2027 · SPIIL1 Sep 2025 · 2
Minimum salaries and pige scale for French national daily newspapers (PQN), 1 Jul 2025 · SNJ1 Jul 2025 · 6
Pige rate talks in French regional dailies (PQR): employers offered €50, unions sought €55–60, Dec 2024 · SNJ · 2
Unions and bodies in France
Nearby
Lowest staff minimum in each country's agreements, as US$ a day.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count