The aim of the project  is, precisely, to make a systematic study the professionals that represent almost 50% of all journalists in service: What is the image they make of the profession? What image they think exist about their profession in the public space? What kind of relations they establish with their co-workers? How do they imagine the relations with power? These are urgent questions considering the impact of this new generation of journalists, with their frustrations and the new values shared in the making of the public opinion in Portugal.

The research project is divided into three parts. The first part aims to provide a sociographical description of this professional group, based on the application forms used to obtain or renew the journalists professional certification, a necessary document for the exercise of the profession. It is applied for in certain periods, which means that between September and December 2003 around 6,000 applications were made to the Journalists Union (for unionized journalists) and the Committee for the Professional Certification of Journalists, which corresponds to the total number of professionals in service at present. An exhaustive scrutiny of these documents provides reliable information on: place of birth, age, gender, number of years in the profession, the press sector in which each applicant is working (printed press, radio or television), academic qualifications etc. It should also be noted that the data is all previously computerized. The union also regularly updates the information on its associates, which signifies that in parallel to the analysis of the current situation, we shall be able to conduct a diachronic study covering a broadly representative number of the professions members (around two-thirds). The goal of the second part will be to contextualize the data obtained earlier, taking Europe and Brazil as the references for comparison. With regard to Europe, following an agreement with the Journalists Union, we shall have the benefit of information provided by similar bodies resulting from numerous studies on this subject. In the case of Brazil we are counting, in particular, on the work carried out at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

The study will target two types of population, which will be the object of intensive social research  methods and techniques: justice professionals, and associations that work with immigrant populations.