Freelancing for Journalists

In this special Freelance Journalism Awards series the winner of Best News Story, Rachael Healy, talks to us about her exclusive investigation which led to David Walliams leaving Britain's Got Talent.

Show notes

Rachael Healy https://www.theguardian.com/profile/rachael-healy

Twitter https://twitter.com/ohrhealy

Website http://www.rachaelhealy.co.uk/

Britain's Got Talent story https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/10/david-walliams-recorded-derogatory-remarks-britains-got-talent-bgt-contestants

Freelance Journalism Awards winners https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/freelance-journalism-awards-winners

News Associates https://newsassociates.co.uk/

In this episode we talk to Freelance Journalism Awards winner Anna Lawlor who won Best Broadcast Journalist 2023. She chats to us about moving from print to radio broadcasting and developing her award-winning documentary Typical!

Show notes

Anna Lawlor https://www.weareluminescence.com/our-team/anna-lawlor/

https://twitter.com/AnnaL_Media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annalawlor

NCTJ journalism training https://www.nctj.com/

Freelance Journalism Awards winners https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/freelance-journalism-awards-winners

Loftus Media https://loftusmedia.co.uk/

BBC Radio 4 Commissioning Rounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/radio-4/

Women in Journalism https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/

In this special bonus episode we talk to two members of the Freelancing for Journalism team, Madeleine Drury and Helen Quinn, who are both freelance journalists working in the broadcast industry. Maddie works as a freelance journalist and audio producer for broadcasters such as BBC World Service and Sky News, and Helen divides her time between writing health-related articles as a journalist and writing documentary scripts for television. 

The Guests

Madeleine Drury

Twitter: @DruryMadeleine 

Instagram: @dreamonmaddie

Maddie’s work: https://linktr.ee/druryma

Helen Quinn

Twitter: @helen1_quinn

Instagram: @helenquinn_1

Helen’s journalism portfolio: https://muckrack.com/helen-quinn-3

Resources

Creative Access

https://creativeaccess.org.uk for jobs and placement schemes - this is your number one shop for young people.

Content is Queen

https://contentisqueen.org for getting into podcasting

Places to find work:

JournoResources 

https://www.journoresources.org.uk/journalism-jobs-internships/

Media Beans 

https://mediabeans.io/

Sian Meades-Williams Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter

https://mailchi.mp/69d207801f23/freelancewritingjobs

Finding work in TV:

Screen Skills

https://www.screenskills.com/

Production Base

https://www.productionbase.co.uk/

The Talent Manager

https://www.thetalentmanager.com/

Media Parents- good for flexible roles and job sharing

https://www.mediaparents.co.uk/

Science Telly jobs (Facebook group)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/210114535757505/

Working in TV (Facebook group)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/workinginTV/

Info for TV researcher roles

https://rts.org.uk/researcher-explained

In this week's episode we ask how do you get a byline in the publication you’ve always wanted to work for? 

We discuss this with award-winning freelance journalist Donna Ferguson who writes regularly for her dream publication The Guardian, and Karen Edwards, a freelance journalist, editor and author who started in the entertainment industry and made a conscious choice to move into travel journalism. 

The Guests 

Karen Edwards

Twitter: @KarenNEdwards 

Instagram: @karennedwards_writer

Website: https://www.karenedwards.co.uk/

Donna Ferguson 

Twitter: @DonnaLFerguson

Instagram: @donnalferguson

Resources

Women in Journalism Masterclass series

https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/masterclass-series/

Donna’s work in The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/donna-ferguson

Telegraph Travel Section 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/

Pitching and providing the goods

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/pitching-and-providing-the-goods

National Union of Journalists (NUJ)

https://www.nuj.org.uk/

Women in Journalism

https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/

Branding and supplementary income podcast episode 

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/branding-and-supplementary-income

FFJ Quick Guide: Branding for Freelancers 

https://payhip.com/FreelancingforJournalists

FFJ newsletter on Branding yourself as a Journalist 

https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/branding-for-freelance-journalists

Muckrack 

https://muckrack.com/donna-ferguson

Readly App

https://gb.readly.com/

How to master networking over a coffee

https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/how-to-master-networking-over-a-cuppa

Freelance Recommendations

Hannah Summers

https://www.theguardian.com/profile/hannah-summers

Shafik Meghji 

http://www.shafikmeghji.com/

https://practicalactionpublishing.com/book/2595/crossed-off-the-map

This episode looks at how to negotiate rates and when to push back against poor rates. 

We chat with Elle Hunt, who writes for the Guardian but also has bylines in Tortoise, New Scientist and Grazia and Tayla Blaire, a freelance content and copywriter based in South Africa. They both have excellent tips and strategies about the best way to negotiate.

The Guests

Elle Hunt

Twitter: @elle_hunt 

Instagram: @elle_hunt

Website: https://ellehunt.net/

Tayla Blaire

Twitter: @TaylaBlaire 

Instagram: @tayla.blaire

Website: https://taylablaire.com/

Resources

Tayla’s Huffington Post personal essay 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/student-teacher-pediatric-cancer-family_n_61e9d33ee4b01440a6895a4a

Sonia Weiss opportunities of the week 

https://soniaweiser.wordpress.com/opportunities-of-the-week-newsletter/

Who pays writers 

http://whopayswriters.com/#/results

Study hall

https://studyhall.xyz/plans/study-hall-subscriptions/

NUJ rate for the job

http://www.londonfreelance.org/rates/index.php

NUJ rate advice 

http://www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide/index.php?§ion=General&subsect=Negotiating+rates+and+rights&page=Advice

Journo Resources freelance rates

https://www.journoresources.org.uk/freelance-rates/

Book: You are a badass at making money by Jen Sincero 

https://jensincero.com/shop/#product=product-habits-paperback

Freelance recommendations

Kushie Amin

https://kushieamin.wixsite.com/home

Amelia Tait

https://ameliatait.com/

Imogen West Knights

https://imogenwestknights.wordpress.com/

This week we look at how to sell one story in multiple ways. How do you get more bang for your buck, maximise your income and make the most of a topic you have been looking into? 

We have Gabriella Ferlita, a journalist writing about women’s health, sex and entertainment and Florian Sturm, a freelance journalist based in Germany writing about science, conservation and travel, to share how they have very successfully sold one story in different ways. 

The Guests

Florian Sturm

Twitter: @wordscombined

Instagram: @flowritesandtravels

Website: https://florian-sturm.com/

Gabriella Ferlita

Twitter: @Gabriellaf_17

Instagram: @gabriellaferlita

Portfolio: https://gabriellaferlita99.journoportfolio.com/

Resources

Journo Resources events and masterclasses

https://www.journoresources.org.uk/events/

Florian in National Geographic

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/author/florian-sturm

With artificial intelligence to more animal welfare in aquaculture, Greenpeace

https://www.greenpeace.ch/de/hintergrund/80353/mit-kuenstlicher-intelligenz-zu-mehr-tierwohl-in-der-aquakultur/

Florian’s Kenya scholarship story

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b3de4aa25bf0252ea0e0cb4/t/5c7971b90d9297f72e955f39/1551462906497/Klick-klack_Kenia_Suprise

Florian’s upcoming book: A life for the Ocean 

https://ein-leben-fuer-den-ozean.de/

Contribute to its production and the spread of knowledge by buying plankton: https://ein-leben-fuer-den-ozean.de/produkt/supportplankton/

Gabriella’s sex trend articles (explainer and first-person)

https://www.tyla.com/sex-and-relationships/pressing-down-womans-stomach-tiktok-20220117

https://www.elitedaily.com/dating/tiktok-sex-trend-pushing-down-stomach-sex

Freelance Recommendations

Hannah van de peer

https://hannahvandepeer.com/ 

Manuel Stark

https://www.zeit.de/zeit-magazin/2019/49/feldhamster-wohnungsnot-frankfurt-wohngebiet

http://manuelstark.de/

In this episode we explore what makes a winning pitch and how to improve your chances of getting a commission.

Learn about the most common mistakes freelancers make when pitching as we chat with two experienced freelance journalists, Punteha van Terheyden who specialises in true-life stories and Flic Everett, a self-employed  journalist and editor.  

The Guests

Punteha van Terheyden

Twitter: @vTFeatures 

Instagram: @vtfeatures

Website: https://www.vtfeatures.co.uk/

Flic Everett

Twitter: @fliceverett 

Website: https://www.fliceverett.com/

Resources

Podcast on pitching 

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/search

Punteha’s journalism handbooks

https://www.vtfeatures.co.uk/freelance-journalism-learning-handbooks-online-uk-part-time

The 10-point pitching plan

https://www.vtfeatures.co.uk/affordable-freelance-journalism-handbooks-digital-uk

Use the code FFJ33 to get a 33% discount

Freelance Recommendations

Leah Hardy

@LeahFHardy 

https://muckrack.com/leah-hardy/articles

Isabelle Jani-Friend  

@ijanifriend

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/cystic-fibrosis-coronavirus_uk_600e0a68c5b6a0d83a1c766c

In this week’s episode, we look at how to generate ideas for stories. Writer and lecturer Ellie Levenson and freelancer feature writer Amelia Tait talk us through how they get some of their best ideas and where they find inspiration. 

The Guests

Ellie Levenson

Twitter: @EllieLevenson 

Instagram: @ellie_levenson

Amelia Tait

Twitter: @ameliargh 

Website: https://ameliatait.com/

Resources

Museum of brands

https://museumofbrands.com/

Amelia’s bubble bath brand story in The Observer

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/aug/21/whatever-happened-to-novelty-bubble-bath-toys

Ellie’s story on the Lockerbie bombings

https://www.ft.com/content/7c3001fc-9b21-11dd-a653-000077b07658

Amelia on how crips flavours have changed

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/14/so-long-salt-and-vinegar-how-crisp-flavours-went-from-simple-to-sensational

Amelia’s story on pathways

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jun/14/paths-of-desire-lockdown-has-lent-a-new-twist-to-the-unofficial-trails-we-carve

Google trends 

https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=GB

What commissioning editors want

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/what-commissioning-editors-want

Lily’s article about running fees

https://www.lilycanter.co.uk/lifestyle/runners-world-where-do-my-fees-go/

Freelancing for Journalists newsletter 

https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/

Freelance Recommendations:

Joe Zadeh

https://www.noemamag.com/the-tyranny-of-time/

https://www.joezadeh.com/about

Mark Savage 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63074469 

Twitter: @mrdiscopop 

It's series 9 of the podcast and we are going back to basics. In the first episode of the new series we discuss how to go freelance.

How do you take the leap into the freelance world? What is the best way to do it, and how do you overcome the freelance imposter syndrome? Our guests this week, Laura Cooke and Charlotte Scotland, are experienced journalists who have both recently gone freelance.

The Guests

Laura Cooke

Twitter: @lauracooke21

Instagram:  @laura_cooke_journalist

Facebook: Laura Cooke Journalist and Writer  

Website: https://lauracookejournalist.wordpress.com/

Charlotte Scotland

Twitter: @charlscotland

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-scotland-6637b4b2

Podcast: Beach Got News

Resources

Freelancing for Journalists Course with Lily and Emma

https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/kickstart-your-freelance-journalism-career/s43/a750959/ 

Past Freelancing for Journalist podcasts relevant to this episode:

Ghosting: https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/ghosting

Imposter syndrome: 

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/imposter-syndrome

Saying No:

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/saying-no

Finances and getting paid:

https://freelancing-for-journalists.captivate.fm/episode/finances-and-getting-paid

Trello - a tool to manage tasks https://trello.com/en

Branding for Freelance Journalists 

https://freelancingforjournalists.substack.com/p/branding-for-freelance-journalists

Journo Resources webinars 

https://www.journoresources.org.uk/events/

Freelance recommendations

Isabelle Cipriska

Twitter: @ICipirska

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/asylum-seekers-cost-of-living-uk-food-costs-40-week-suella-braverman/

Latifa John Baptiste

Twitter: @_LateefahJB

https://www.lateefahjb.com/

Sian Meades-Williams

https://www.sianmeadeswilliams.com/

The Pyjama Myth: The Freelance Writer’s Survival Guide https://unbound.com/books/the-pyjama-myth/

In the final episode of the series we chat to Terri White the former editor of Empire magazine and Time Out New York, about her first book, Coming Undone. The book is a brutally honest and moving memoir about her breakdown in New York and how her early life experiences shaped where she is today, both professionally and personally. 

Terri is currently a freelance journalist writing for a range of publications and has a column in the Sunday Times. We pick her brains about choosing to go freelance for a better work/ life balance and how journalism today is affected by a lack of class diversity. 

The Author

Terri White 

Twitter: @Terri_White

Instagram: @terrilwhite

Newsletter: White Noise https://terriwhite.substack.com/

Book

Coming Undone https://canongate.co.uk/books/2716-c

Publisher

Cannongate https://canongate.co.uk/

Journalism 

Grazia article about surviving on benefits

https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/we-must-continue-to-protect-children-in-need/

Big Issue 

https://www.bigissue.com/news/activism/terri-white-no-child-should-know-the-emptiness-and-ache-of-hunger/

Sunday Times column 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/whos-that-banging-away-at-the-typewriter-look-out-heres-terri-zsks0jtdd

The New Statesman

https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/media/2022/06/terri-white-media-response-strikes-working-class-journalists

Empire podcast 

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-podcast-479-yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-jude-law-farewell-terri-white/

Help to get into journalism

London Film Festival critics mentorship 

https://www2.bfi.org.uk/lff/education/critics-mentorship-programme

The Guardian Scott Trust Bursary

https://theguardianfoundation.org/programmes/scott-trust-bursary

Arts emergency

https://www.arts-emergency.org/ 

Freelancing for Journalists work experience 

https://freelancingforjournalists.com/journalism-work-experience-initiative/