In 2018, this union remained the most representative organization for the journalism profession[2][3], securing over 52% of the vote in the 2018 Press Card Commission triennial elections[4] and 38.85% in the union representation measure for the journalism sector[5].
History
Founded in Paris on 10 during a constitutive meeting[6] at 52 Rue de Châteaudun, the Union of Journalists (not yet named National Union of Journalists) drafted in 19 December the Charter of Journalistic Duties, which established the ethical principles of the profession. This charter was revised in 1938 and updated again in 2011.
On 9 November 1940, the SNJ, like all existing unions, was dissolved by the Vichy government[7].
It reconstituted itself in 1946 after a brief attempt to unify the trade union movement. Since 1946, the SNJ has remained the leading journalists' union in France. Its role has been to strengthen and expand the framework established in 1930, including enhancements to the collective agreement as early as 1956, the Cressard Law[8] (1974) affirming the salaried status of freelance journalists, recognition of journalism training centers, affiliation with the UNEDIC unemployment insurance system (1968), and the return of the arbitration commission to the press card commission premises (1993).
In 1981, the SNJ formed the Solidaires Union (formerly "Group of Ten") with nine other organizations[9].
In the early 2000s, the SNJ shifted its stance on freelance journalists, creating dedicated commissions to assist them. These commissions provide resources for freelancers to learn their rights and participate in employee representative bodies.
In 2018, celebrating its centenary, the SNJ organized events across France, including a tribute to Georges Bourdon in his hometown of Vouziers on 30 June[10]. In Étretat, a Georges-Bourdon garden was inaugurated on 6 October[11]. In Paris, a gathering took place on 10 March 2018 at Place du Trocadéro, 100 years after its foundation[12]. An exhibition titled "100 Years of Fighting for Press Freedom" was displayed at the Paris City Hall from 17 September to 22 October[13]. The 100th SNJ Congress featured Franck Riester, newly appointed Minister of Culture, as a speaker on 18 October[14]. Historian Christian Delporte authored 100 Years of Journalism: A History of the National Union of Journalists (1918–2018)[15].
^The sixteen founders of the SNJ were Jean-Ernest Charles (first president), Pierre Mille, René Sudre, Henry Sabarthez, René Boureau, G. Durand, Louis Latapie, Georges Prade, Paul Lordon, Louis Latzarus, Mario Sermet, Paul Rousseau, Auguste Avril, Clément Vautel, Victor Margueritte, Pierre Audibert. Source: François Boissarie, former first general secretary of SNJ.
The National Journalists' Collective Agreement, updated in 2012
The Journalist's Handbook by François Boissarie and Jean-Paul Garnier (CD edition)
The Professionalism of Blur,Denis Ruellan, Presses universitaires de Grenoble, 1993
The National Union of Journalists: Category-Based, (Neo)Corporatist, or Salaried? Camille Dupuy, ENS Cachan, 2012
Justice at Stake, Stéphane Enguéléguélé, L'Harmattan, 2001
The ORTF, Power, and Journalists, supplement to Le Journaliste No. 147, 1974
FR3 Gagged Information, supplement to Le Journaliste No. 195, 1978
The Right to Information and the Lifting of Secrecy, proceedings from the Press-Police-Justice Committee colloquium, supplement to Le Journaliste No. 195, 1984
100 Years of Journalism: A History of the National Union of Journalists (1918–2018), Christian Delporte, Nouveau Monde Editions, 2018
