Freelance journalists, how do you go about getting your stories?
Hi, I'm interested in starting freelance journalism as a side job. I understand the process of submitting stories and such, but how do you go about getting the story? Do you guys get it yourselves or from news feeds or both? I'm looking more towards international news. Thanks. People with experience in this should answer this question.
Media & Journalism - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Freelance for international news would be near impossible. Most papers either just pull international stories from the AP Wire, or if a paper is big enough/lucky enough to have desk in a foreign country, they just use one reporter. Unless you're taking about giving your spin on international events (which would also be hard to freelance because not many people care about international news), you're not going to find much luck. Most freelancers focus on local events and stories because they're more familiar with them. For someone new to the journalism world, I would recommend starting here. Cover an event or a story that you're comfortable with, write the story, and see what your paper does with it. If they like it, let them know what kinds of things you'd be comfortable with, and maybe you'll have a solid place to sell your work.
2 :
The thing about freelancing is that you have to invest in your own efforts up front. Once you have the story, you can sell it, but you have to get it first! This is why freelancing internationally would be very difficult- You'd have to pay to get yourself wherever the story is. On a local level, or for special-interest magazines, freelancing makes sense. You can get the story, fine-tune it with supporting art and photos, and shop it around to several media sources. Doing something like this internationally would require significant planning and investment, which is hard to justify without knowing when or if you'll ever get paid back for the stories. If you are just starting as a freelance journalist, get established on a local level first. A strong local reputation can be earned over time and open other doors. Best of luck to you, but I'll add this- the best freelancers worked at media sources first. Once they gain experience and repute, it becomes much easier to sell stories to former employers and former rivals as a freelancer.
3 :
I think that you have gotten some really good answers so far. I'd just like to add a few thoughts of my own. I got my start freelancing video for the local tv stations. They can't be everywhere and sometimes they just don't have people on duty to catch breaking news. I lived on the edge of the viewing area and was easily able to get to stories sometimes before the stations even knew about them. Over time I got a reputation for being able to identify good spots news and bad spots news and started to sell a lot of video. It wasn't long before they started calling me when they were shorthanded or knew I could make it to a scene before they could. If that's the route you want to take get a scanner, basic camera or video gear, a map and a cell phone and you're ready to go. Here are just a couple of basic rules. 1. Don't oversell the story. If there is nothing to it, say there is nothing too and wait for the next one. It will help you build credibility. 2. Don't consider information on the scanner to be accurate. Calls have a nasty habit of starting big and then scaling back. Get accurate info from someone in authority at a scene, police, fire or medic. 3. When dealing with authorities at a scene you will always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. This is for getting scene access and information. (Work with them and they will work with you......most of the time) 4. Don't sweat it when you miss a story. You don't catch every fish when you go fishing. Stories are like buses, there will be another one along in about 20 minutes. 5. Always be ready to cover a story. Remember that the spot news business is not a matter of if but when. Good luck and more importantly have fun
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