Freelance Journalism

kellco88 · 01-10-2008 1:03pm #1

Hi,

Would anyone know the best route to getting into freelance journalism?

I am looking at getting into it on the sports side of things but am unsure about how to do it?

Pen1987 · 02-10-2008 12:20am

If you cant find that out for yourself then you definitely wont be cut out for journalism.

Research, pretty important part of journalism.

Freelancing is definitely the easiest part to get in to, the hardest to live on.

Google search, maybe give it a bash?

Xavi6 · 02-10-2008 8:34am

Pick up the phone and ring around. Local newspapers are the most obvious place to start and also the most likely to give you a shot. Don't aim too high if you're just starting out.

markkeane · 02-10-2008 11:17am

There are a few things to ask yourself.

1. what are of sports are you interested in? All the main sports are already covered by staff journalists from national, regional print and broadcast media. So, perhaps carve out a niche in minority sports coverage.

2. What qualifications/experience do you have?

3. Are you interested in writing sports news or sports features?

4. From a practical viewpoint, do you have a full driver's livence? Very important. If a sports news editor rings you he or she may want you to cover a sports marking off the beaten track.

5. Are you based in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway?

6. Are you planning to work full time as a freelance or part-time?

7. have you written or broadcast anything yet?

8. Try newspaper sports editors/news editors and the same for radio.

9. have a few fresh and 'original' ideas to discuss with them. have some stories written already and a demo disc to offer them.

I hope that is of some help.

by8auj6csd3ioq · 08-10-2008 11:14am

If you cant find that out for yourself then you definitely wont be cut out for journalism.

That is true of all 'how do I get into journalism' type questions so why is it only asked of op. And why are there courses for journalists?

OP go to a sporting function of your choosing where the local press will be. Write a report and do not submit it but keep and compare with what the journalist from the paper writes. Do that a few time to see how you do. Then start submitting pieces even if they are covered by the papers reporter they will see you can do it. And then try to be at events the local hacks won't be and submit your writing of the event

monument · 10-10-2008 3:29pm

Pen1987 wrote: »

Research, pretty important part of journalism.

As is asking questions, what s/he has done.

fudgez · 10-09-2010 8:31pm

Pen1987 wrote: »

If you cant find that out for yourself then you definitely wont be cut out for journalism.

Research, pretty important part of journalism.

Freelancing is definitely the easiest part to get in to, the hardest to live on.

Google search, maybe give it a bash?

<- a bit harsh naw?

Lenny Lovett · 10-09-2010 10:02pm

Try your local radio station. They probably won't pay you without experience but they may let you do some sports coverage, to get a grounding, on a voluntary basis. Actually Community stations are always looking for volunteers and that's where many of Today's radio sports guys and gals started.

frostie500 · 12-09-2010 11:55pm

I'm in the same boat as the OP and trying to break into journalism.

I studied Computing in DCU but since I graduated, last year, its obviously been very difficult to find work in that field. I've always been passionate about sports and decided to try and break into journalism.

I write predominantly in motorsport, and have been very fortunate to get a weekly column covering Formula 1 and MotoGP for my local paper but I have been unsuccessful in trying to get anything published with the national press. I set up a portfolio site with PDF's of my published articles to showcase my work when pitching articles and the blog section of the site has been getting increasingly popular but I'm unsure in how to make the next step and get national coverage

Having studied in such a vastly different field I'm wondering should I look to do a masters in journalism or just continue to plug away as I have done for the past six months? Or does anyone have any advice on how to pitch articles?

kellco88 · 13-09-2010 9:37pm

I have to say some of the advice i have received has been of great help very positive apart from pen1987 who obviously has a bit of an ego.

Anyway advice i would give is to pick up the phone and ring around. start local and dont expect to make big money you may not make anything for a while.

But keep plugging away and dont let anyone knock you because they want to act the prat when in reality they have less experience than you do.

good luck to anyone looking to break into journalism.

fatgav · 23-09-2010 2:05am

Hope OP doesn't mind me entering this thread, but I found an ad on freelance.com that was of interest, and seemed like pretty easy work. I put in a bid and was told that what I was looking for was too high (I felt it was modest) and that the site was getting offers of 50 cent (US)/100 words.

Is it likely/possible that people are working for so little or am I over-valuing myself, as a bit of a newbie to freelancing (I do other work elsewhere)

flogen · 24-09-2010 1:50am

fatgav wrote: »

Hope OP doesn't mind me entering this thread, but I found an ad on freelance.com that was of interest, and seemed like pretty easy work. I put in a bid and was told that what I was looking for was too high (I felt it was modest) and that the site was getting offers of 50 cent (US)/100 words.

Is it likely/possible that people are working for so little or am I over-valuing myself, as a bit of a newbie to freelancing (I do other work elsewhere)

You're not over-valuing yourself from a genuine journalistic standard but a system like freelance.com will always favour the person working to work for the least.

$0.50c/100 words would (of course) be half a cent per word. To put that into context the average I've been earning this year is €0.18c/word (across Irish newspapers and magazines and including some work that currently is not providing a return).

As for my advice to the OP - identify what you want to do and work to gain expertise and reputation in that area by building knowledge and proving your ability. Also, don't work for free - if the work is good enough to air/print it's good enough to be paid for, even if it isn't much.

jdivision · 24-09-2010 12:56pm

fatgav wrote: »

I put in a bid and was told that what I was looking for was too high (I felt it was modest) and that the site was getting offers of 50 cent (US)/100 words.

Is it likely/possible that people are working for so little or am I over-valuing myself, as a bit of a newbie to freelancing (I do other work elsewhere)

Experienced freelances who would have a substantial contacts base get about 22c a word, average ones get about 16-18c. What did you think was fair?

fatgav · 25-09-2010 12:03am

I was looking for 10c a word, and would maybe have done it for 8 as it was relatively basic work (match previews). Less than half a cent is ridiculous though, IMO

flogen · 25-09-2010 2:38pm

fatgav wrote: »

I was looking for 10c a word, and would maybe have done it for 8 as it was relatively basic work (match previews). Less than half a cent is ridiculous though, IMO

It is; - I did over 14k words in September and should get around €2,900 for that, in other words around 20c/word (some of the articles I wrote this month pay well above others so that brings the average up a bit).

Had I written those articles for that crowd I'd have made €70.

It would be impossible to make a living from that. Even if you could write those 14k words without any research it would take you hours to do, then there's the expenses incurred (electricity, internet etc.).

Even 10c a word would be quite low but a bit more practical. Your best bet is to stick to real publications in Ireland or Britain.

Brian Reynolds · 03-04-2012 12:14pm

Community radio is a great way to get some good experience. Ok it's mostly volunatry, but they are always looking for programme makers. It will also allow you to bulid up a portfolio of work, that you can then use to further your career.
I myself do a sports show for Cavan Community Radio. www.cavancommunityradio.org
good luck

berrypendel · 07-04-2012 5:43pm

kellco88 wrote: »

Hi,

Would anyone know the best route to getting into freelance journalism?

I am looking at getting into it on the sports side of things but am unsure about how to do it?

start writing and sending to papers

lovelydub · 09-04-2012 10:03am

motorsport is covered by the national newspapers and broadcast media.
John Kenny of RTE, Quigley for the Indo.
Shane Stokes covers cycling for all the nationals and broadcast media.
Try athletics, minority sports like cricket, show jumping.
Why not call in to see the sports editors of the national newspapers?
Cathal Dervan is sports ed of the Sun on Sunday, give him a bell and ask to meet him early in the week. Have at least three sports/features to discuss and show him.
For tabloid only write max 12 pars for features. If they want more they will ask for it.
Definately target the Sunday tabloid market.
But you will be competing with other freelancers and so try to have as original stories as possible.
Good luck

lovelydub · 09-04-2012 10:11am

the other guy to try to talk to is Paul Kimmage. A former prof cyclist he started with the Sunday Independent and then moved to the Sunday Times.
John Greene is the sports ed of the Sunday Indo. Give him a bell. Forget about GAA, soccer, rugby and golf.
Focus on the lesser known sports.
If you can get a good angle to a story they will run it.
So, make sure each news/feature story has at least two if not three strong angles in it.
An area that is often neglected is sports/news.
For example, the Airtricity league has been running for the past month.
Check the attendances. Which clubs' gate is up or down on last season? How much are players being paid compared to last season etc?
Talk to ex players, managers for their opinions on the future of the league.
Do the same for cricket and hockey.
Where does the finance come from?
Seek out some show jumper who has qualified for the Olympics and interview him/her about the cost involved and return.
Sailing etc could also be featured.
When you have your stories written approach one Sunday sports ed and offer them. Don't be shy about discussing a fee for each story. Remember it is not length of the story but the quality of research and writing.

berrypendel · 09-04-2012 1:58pm

I have heard the irish examner is very open to freelance work but i heard this in relation to stories not sport. And while i heard it from a reliable source i have no direct experience of it

berrypendel · 09-04-2012 2:00pm

frostie500 wrote: »

I'm in the same boat as the OP and trying to break into journalism.

I studied Computing in DCU but since I graduated, last year, its obviously been very difficult to find work in that field. I've always been passionate about sports and decided to try and break into journalism.

I write predominantly in motorsport, and have been very fortunate to get a weekly column covering Formula 1 and MotoGP for my local paper but I have been unsuccessful in trying to get anything published with the national press. I set up a portfolio site with PDF's of my published articles to showcase my work when pitching articles and the blog section of the site has been getting increasingly popular but I'm unsure in how to make the next step and get national coverage

Having studied in such a vastly different field I'm wondering should I look to do a masters in journalism or just continue to plug away as I have done for the past six months? Or does anyone have any advice on how to pitch articles?

how did you and the op get on, let us know

frostie500 · 09-04-2012 5:58pm

berrypendel wrote: »

how did you and the op get on, let us know

Thanks for asking berry. I'm getting on really well. Im actually over in Qatar at the minute having covered the opening race of the MotoGP season! In the 18 months since I posted in reply to the OP Ive been accredited to Formula 1 and MotoGP races as well as some other races. I was also at the Ireland Wales 6 Nations match this year so Im delighted with my progress.

When I started writing it was because I loved sports and wanted a pastime as I looked for work. It quickly became far more than that for me and even though Ive been working full time for almost a year now I havent been writing any less and in fact having the job has been perfect because its allowed me to pay my own way and get to events.

I still write for my local paper, The Dundalk Democrat, and cant thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to write on a sport that I love. I know that the relevance of F1 isnt too high in a local paper but they've been great to me and its allowed me to get to places I never would have dreamed of when I posted in this thread before.

At the end of last year I started to contribute to a couple of different websites and this year I should be able to earn enough to cover most of my costs for each race weekend.

There's no doubt that its a tough market to get into but I found that perseverance was key to me and I sort of forced my own way into the paddock. I think its easy to get dispirited because you do get rejected more than in most other lines of work but if you keep positive and know that its what you want to do it makes all the difference in the world.

Im still waiting to get published in a national paper, for motorsport its pretty tough because the Irish papers all take their reports and news from London agencies with the occasional pieces by the likes of Quigley and David Kennedy. Personally I find it amazing that there isnt a qualifying report in the Sunday Indo on a race that weekend even though they have Kennedy analysing the action the following weekend.

Anytime I've tried pitching to them its been a closed shop because of costs etc but I think its a pretty big oversight when you view that the popularity of the sport is once again on the rise.

The likes of the Examiner are quite interested in publishing work but they dont have a budget that will cover F1 and again they are happy to use the feeds from London when they do publish something. They do at least answer emails and phone calls and give you valid reasons for not publishing work so for some sports you would have a good chance of getting something published.

Initially I had hoped that my work would speak for itself and Id suddenly be found and hired to report on F1 but realistically I knew that this wasnt going to be the case. At the time even if I was given a job it wouldnt have been as a fulltime motorsport reporter but rather something smaller and it would have kept me from getting to races for a couple of years.

As it is now that Ive got my foot in the door I know that opportunities can present themselves and also with the security of having a job that I enjoy I also know that Id only look to make the move for a role that allowed me to cover the sports that I love.

For anyone looking to get into journalism the one thing that I would say is that a lot of people want to help. I was lucky to get in touch with a couple of different people and they offered really good feedback on my writing and let me know that I did have a talent for what I wanted to do and I know that if opportunities presented themselves in future that they would do their best to help me.

Everyone will say it but you've got to keep the end game in mind. I know that long term this is what I want to do and while working for free or only publishing work to your own site might not seem appealing the benefits down the line can be very rewarding.

Id also say that you should use the people here on boards. For me positing in the motorsport forum has been really valuable. The users there all know the sport inside and out and are my target audience with web work and articles. If I can impress them I know that Im doing well and deserve the opporunity to pursue my goal. Write you opinion pieces and post them here and you'll be amazed at some of the feedback that you get

berrypendel · 09-04-2012 6:38pm

frostie500 wrote: »

Thanks for asking berry. I'm getting on really well. Im actually over in Qatar at the minute having covered the opening race of the MotoGP season! In the 18 months since I posted in reply to the OP Ive been accredited to Formula 1 and MotoGP races as well as some other races. I was also at the Ireland Wales 6 Nations match this year so Im delighted with my progress.

When I started writing it was because I loved sports and wanted a pastime as I looked for work. It quickly became far more than that for me and even though Ive been working full time for almost a year now I havent been writing any less and in fact having the job has been perfect because its allowed me to pay my own way and get to events.

I still write for my local paper, The Dundalk Democrat, and cant thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to write on a sport that I love. I know that the relevance of F1 isnt too high in a local paper but they've been great to me and its allowed me to get to places I never would have dreamed of when I posted in this thread before.

At the end of last year I started to contribute to a couple of different websites and this year I should be able to earn enough to cover most of my costs for each race weekend.

There's no doubt that its a tough market to get into but I found that perseverance was key to me and I sort of forced my own way into the paddock. I think its easy to get dispirited because you do get rejected more than in most other lines of work but if you keep positive and know that its what you want to do it makes all the difference in the world.

Im still waiting to get published in a national paper, for motorsport its pretty tough because the Irish papers all take their reports and news from London agencies with the occasional pieces by the likes of Quigley and David Kennedy. Personally I find it amazing that there isnt a qualifying report in the Sunday Indo on a race that weekend even though they have Kennedy analysing the action the following weekend.

Anytime I've tried pitching to them its been a closed shop because of costs etc but I think its a pretty big oversight when you view that the popularity of the sport is once again on the rise.

The likes of the Examiner are quite interested in publishing work but they dont have a budget that will cover F1 and again they are happy to use the feeds from London when they do publish something. They do at least answer emails and phone calls and give you valid reasons for not publishing work so for some sports you would have a good chance of getting something published.

Initially I had hoped that my work would speak for itself and Id suddenly be found and hired to report on F1 but realistically I knew that this wasnt going to be the case. At the time even if I was given a job it wouldnt have been as a fulltime motorsport reporter but rather something smaller and it would have kept me from getting to races for a couple of years.

As it is now that Ive got my foot in the door I know that opportunities can present themselves and also with the security of having a job that I enjoy I also know that Id only look to make the move for a role that allowed me to cover the sports that I love.

For anyone looking to get into journalism the one thing that I would say is that a lot of people want to help. I was lucky to get in touch with a couple of different people and they offered really good feedback on my writing and let me know that I did have a talent for what I wanted to do and I know that if opportunities presented themselves in future that they would do their best to help me.

Everyone will say it but you've got to keep the end game in mind. I know that long term this is what I want to do and while working for free or only publishing work to your own site might not seem appealing the benefits down the line can be very rewarding.

Id also say that you should use the people here on boards. For me positing in the motorsport forum has been really valuable. The users there all know the sport inside and out and are my target audience with web work and articles. If I can impress them I know that Im doing well and deserve the opporunity to pursue my goal. Write you opinion pieces and post them here and you'll be amazed at some of the feedback that you get

fair dues - well done

jd52314 · 04-02-2013 2:29pm

Do a course in the subject of your choice, all courses will have a section on how to get started and building up contacts etc etc

kellco88 wrote: »

Hi,

Would anyone know the best route to getting into freelance journalism?

I am looking at getting into it on the sports side of things but am unsure about how to do it?

Freelance Journalism

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