A summary of the article "Entrepreneurial Journalism: The Life of the Freelance" by Mary Evans
Define freelance:
Adjective: self-employed and hired to work for different
companies on particular assignments
Challenges for any freelancer
- Where is the work
- Where is the money
- Where is the future
“There are a lot of journalists willing to supply in a
market that doesn’t have the demand”
Not enough money to go around. Too many journalists / not
enough work demand
Freelancer’s Perspective
Adrian MacLeod – 20
year journalism career – current media consultant
He established his own technical magazine Approval
He now advises print and digital publications through his
website writethinking.co.uk
“Helping them to improve what they call content, but I like
to call writing”
He advises the print and digital publications on improving
what they call content, but what he calls writing
“Everyone is expected to do more for less”
“It’s always been difficult as a freelancer to get the work,
very difficult to get paid, and you seem to spend a horribly small proportion
of your time actually writing. And that’s got a lot worse”
Adrian MacLeod’s assessment on the current outlook for
freelancers is somewhat negative. He sees that freelancers are not getting paid
enough. Aside from that, they can barely find any jobs in the first place. If there is a job, then they end up earning
less than they deserve for it. He also sees a decline in the overall situation
Blogger
Fleetstreetfox – freelancing for 20 years – believes it is a tough industry
The industry has always been hard and challenging.
“I think the money available is probably roughly the same,
i.e. dreadful”
The blogger believes that the industry has not changed,
except for the fact that it is getting a little more crowded. Other than that, it
is pretty much the same.
Sally Brockway –
successful freelancer for 20 years – writing for myriad publications – her
personal life has suffered the highs and lows of a freelancer
The present ballgame
“It has never been this bad.”
According to Sally Brockway, freelancing was a lot better in
the past. It used to be a lot better. A huge difference she saw was the money.
Now, if she makes half of what she used to, she’ll be pleased.
Sally would not recommend freelance journalism as a career.
According to ABCs
(Audit Bureau of Circulations)
Every national newspaper reports a drop in year-on-year
circulation
Ian Abbot – editor of
TV Times Magazine, confirms every freelancer’s suspicion
“We use less than half the amount of freelancers compared to
the good old days”
It is cheaper for publications to get stories from in-house
staff because it is cheaper.
“For slightly more than the cost of one feature commission,
I can get someone to come in for a whole week and write four or five features”
A feature story that could earn a freelancer several hundred
pounds in a few hours is not replaced by a day’s work for less than half that
amount.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has observed many
people leaving the profession
The Advantages of Youth
Many publications choose younger – and cheaper – journalists
who enter the profession – according to Ian Abbot
“We tend to go for younger people because then we can train
them up how we want to”
Work experience is key to that “crucial break”.
“At the moment, if people can, they will pay you nothing,”
says Sally Borckway
If you’re noticed, you get work. – Some people get lucky
when working for free
Freelancers find themselves stuck between doing more than
what they are earning, and knowing that their employees have a line of other
people to choose from.
“It is all about making money” – Sally Brockway
The way ahead
P. J. O’Rouke “I was a writer for 40 years. Now I’m a
content provider. And content is free.”
Anyone can write and publish material online – this raises
the question “why would you pay someone to do it?”
Adrian MacLeod
points out that along with the need for quality content, digital media also
creates new opportunities for the entrepreneurial journalist.
There is a merging between blogging and journalism.
It has negative effects and opportunities to be your own
brand / publisher
This one guy set up his own website, got advertisers, and
eventually became an international publishing “guru”.
Questions to consider:
- So what does the future hold for freelancing?
- If it is to survive, what does the modern
freelancer need to do to create opportunities?
·
“I think there will be freelancers, but I don’t
think there will be as many” – Ian
Abbott
o
Freelancers will have to be very good
o
“You need to find the stuff no-one else can get,
that’s what a good freelance is about”
For successful freelancers – Sally Brockway
- The most important people is knowing people
& having contacts
- You have to have had a staff job to get to know
people – people who like working with you
“Plug away at it” – Fleetsteetfox
Freelancing is a race
o
Staff = sprinter
o
Freelance = marathon runner
§
Got to find the story and keep all your plates
spinning
Adrian MacLeod
Freelancers need to move on with the times
Embrace new media.
Example: use twitter to create your own brand
- Tweet what you know what you’re researching, who
you’re interviewing, etc.
- You’ll be able to get instant feedback
- Editors could be following you and get examples
of your [social media] skills
Websites to find people who are useful to you
Twitter Tips
- Get people to follow you
- Tweet useful, interesting, vital, funny, human
stuff
- Get into conversations with people
- Twitter loves openness
Allow 4 – 6 months of Tweeting and following before seeing any real
benefit
The more the
challenges facing freelance journalism change, the more they stay the same
- Future
freelancers need people skills, business management, and tough skin
- There
is a constant revolution in how we communicate; because of that freelancers
must find a way to adapt and capitalize on these changes.
- “With innovation comes opportunity”
--------------------------------
Challenging Questions
·
“I was a writer for 40 years. Now I’m a
content provider. And content is free” (P J O’Rourke, 2012). What are the
differences between a “writer” and a “content provider” and how do they affect
modern freelancing
A
“Writer” is someone who writes in general, but anyone can write and publish
material online. That alone makes people wonder why they should pay people do
write and post.
A
“content provider” is someone who provides content for other people to use.
Today we can access anybody’s personal blogs, twitter accounts, or other
publications freely to gain access to information. We don’t have to pay for the
information.
·
Should freelancing be better regulated to
prevent undercutting? Or is it every freelance for themselves?
Unfortunately
the market and the lifestyle of being a freelancer do not allow people the
freedom to reach for better regulating. If someone were to argue their payment
they are susceptible to not getting the job. There are other people in line to
get paid whatever they can, as long as they can pay their bills.
I
personally think that there should be better regulation in general to avoid
getting paid less than they deserve. Undercutting freelancers has resulted in
future undercuts if they choose to transition to a staff job.
·
“Video killed the radio star” (The
Buggles). Has digital journalism killed traditional print media freelancing?
Print
media has definitely been facing a decline because of digital journalism. I
think that as long as the generations that grew up on print media exist, then
it will still live.
Eventually,
digital journalism will kill traditional print media, and there won’t be any
real need for it.
·
In new age of “citizen journalism” when
anyone on the street can publish fact or opinion, what role is there for the
freelance journalist?
The
freelance journalist can take all perspectives and posts as “free content”,
they can also reach out to people for more information. With their compilation
they can then write a piece that overpowers everything else.
