A survey conducted by Brazil’s Jorge Duprat Figueiredo Foundation for Occupational Safety and Medicine, known as Fundacentro, in partnership with the National Federation of Journalists, or Fenaj, has highlighted the mental health pressures affecting journalists in the country. The study identified symptoms associated with depression, stress, insomnia and anxiety, while also recording reports of moral harassment and cyberbullying in the profession.
The research collected responses from 257 journalists through an online questionnaire. According to Fundacentro, 50.2% of the participants reported symptoms of depression. The findings were disclosed by the agency on September 22, 2026, after the results had been presented during a September 14 meeting of Brazil’s National Congress Communications Council.
Survey points to several overlapping pressures
Depression-related symptoms were not the only concern identified in the survey. Fundacentro reported that 47.8% of respondents showed symptoms of stress, while 47.9% reported insomnia. Symptoms associated with anxiety were indicated by 35.8% of participants. Together, the figures describe a professional environment in which emotional distress and sleep-related problems affect a substantial share of the surveyed group.
The study also examined workplace conditions that may contribute to psychological strain. The factors considered included excessive workloads, limited control over professional activities, pressure to meet productivity demands and insufficient social support at work. These elements can become particularly significant in journalism, where deadlines, constant news updates and exposure to difficult or traumatic events are part of daily routines.
Harassment was another important component of the findings. Depending on the criteria applied by the researchers, the prevalence of moral harassment ranged from 26.1% to 37% of participants. In addition, 30.4% of respondents reported experiences associated with cyberbullying. The results place internal workplace conduct and online attacks alongside workload as relevant issues in discussions about journalists’ health and safety.
Results do not represent medical diagnoses
The survey’s percentages require careful interpretation. The reported figures refer to symptoms identified through the research instrument, not necessarily to medical diagnoses of depression, anxiety or other mental health disorders. A symptom-based survey can indicate warning signs and patterns among respondents, but it cannot replace an evaluation conducted by a qualified health professional.
There are also methodological limits to how broadly the results can be applied. The study used convenience and snowball sampling, with an online questionnaire. This means that participation was not based on a probability sample designed to represent every journalist in Brazil. The findings therefore describe the 257 respondents and provide evidence of a serious concern, but they should not automatically be treated as a precise measure of the entire national workforce.
The presentation of the study to the Communications Council brought the issue into a broader public debate about the conditions required for journalism to serve society. In its coverage, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies news agency described the research as pointing to a high rate of depression-related symptoms among journalists.
Impact on journalism and the right to information
The issue extends beyond individual well-being. According to the discussion reported by Agência Brasil, Fenaj has warned that psychological suffering, digital violence and precarious working conditions can affect both professionals and the quality of journalism they produce. Sustained pressure may influence staff retention, editorial independence and the ability of newsrooms to investigate and publish information with the necessary time and care.
That connection gives the research a democratic dimension. Journalists’ working conditions can affect the public’s access to reliable information, particularly when news organizations face demands for speed and productivity without sufficient support for their employees. Preventing harassment and reducing avoidable psychosocial risks are therefore labor concerns as well as issues related to the resilience of the news ecosystem.
Psychosocial risks gain regulatory attention
The publication also comes as Brazilian authorities are giving greater attention to psychosocial risks at work. Fundacentro has stated that the revised wording of Brazil’s Regulatory Standard No. 1, known as NR-1, includes psychosocial risk factors in occupational risk management. The agency published related guidance in May 2026, reinforcing the relevance of prevention, workplace protection and organizational responsibility in the debate.
The survey does not establish a single cause for the symptoms reported by participants, nor does it claim that every newsroom faces identical conditions. It does, however, identify a combination of pressures that researchers and journalism organizations can use to guide further investigation and prevention efforts. For the profession, the central challenge is to address workload, harassment and digital hostility while preserving the autonomy and quality of news production.
