Adapting to Modern Day Journalism
By: Alejandro Bracetti
A State of Freelance
As print has become a thing of the past and digital becomes the wave of the future, the journalism field is going through a transition that is providing little security for journalists—editors, staff writers, and especially freelance writers.
Before the current economic crisis, freelance writers were in high demand and considered assets for media publications.
“They were clamoring for writers…You could get work at Reader’s Digest, TV Guide, Ebony, Jet, books, forwards, writing someone’s bio[graphy]…A writer was sought after,” said 33-year old freelancer Malik Rashawn.
Reminiscing when freelancing provided financial stability, Rashawn said, “A writer could actually make a living freelancing. You didn’t have to worry about making money, paying for your dental or medical.”
Since 2004, Rashawn has experienced the best and worst of the freelance market, and has made the transition from freelancing to working in-house as a staff writer for The Source magazine.
The industry has undergone a reformation, but few freelancers have adjusted to the changes and continue to find work during these rough times.
“It is definitely a bit dry and I’ve found that the work isn’t coming is as fast and furious as it was a few years ago, but I’m still making a living being a full-time freelancer,” said freelance editor and writer, Linda DiProperzio, 37.
DiProperzio has freelanced for the NY Post, Prevention magazine and Parents.com from time-to-time, and has ventured outside of the field, utilizing her journalism skills to teach for the online college, University of Phoenix.
“I’ve been lucky that I still get some work handed to me, but I’ve also had to branch out into other outlets (more online), increase my networking and marketing, and I also started teaching,” said DiProperzio.
“That paycheck has helped when the writing work is coming out slower than I would like.”
What was considered a career that provided writers steady income is slowly becoming an obsolete profession. The demand for self-employment has dwindled and companies are spending less on professional services. In-house editorial teams have downsized and the jobs once assigned to freelancers are now being distributed amongst full-time employees.
Lifestyle editor for The Source magazine, CyeJuan “CJ” Washington, 33, has adapted to the changes and become a jack-of-all-trades. Not only does he write for both online and print; he also works as the main videographer, photographer, marketing assistant and tech specialist.
“We used to hire fact checkers and proofreaders to take care of editorial. And we had tons of photographers and people shooting video, but we’re struggling to sell ads to pay for them,” said Washington.
“They’re looking for people who can do more than one thing at a time,” said Rashawn.
As publications stopped hiring consultants to cut costs, Washington said freelancers were still being used at The Source and other publications.
“We actually utilize freelancers for different parts of the magazine. We pick the best from each category because we don’t want to overstock ourselves with them. It can become very expensive,” said Washington.
While some publishers hired in small amounts, others hires in abundance, but offered lower compensation in exchange.
“Some magazines have cut their rates significantly, so that’s been an adjustment. Of course, some take it to an extreme, paying 10 cents a word,” said DiProperzio.
DiProperzio claimed established freelancers can earn around $1 per word, but the pay usually depends on the publication and writer’s experience.
With little or no finances to spare, the industry has become dependent on the free labor market, employing a large quantity of interns to assist with the daily operations of a publication.
Overlooking the company masthead, which features more than 30 interns and over 20 contributing writers and researchers, Washington claimed The Source isn’t the only publication milking interns.
“Companies aren’t looking to hire right now. So they take advantage of interns because interns need the experience, and publishers need the work,” said Washington.
Rashawn claimed as publishers worry more about expenses, they pay less attention to the quality of work produced by inexperienced writers.
“The quality of the writing therefore suffers because these interns aren’t ready. Nine times out of 10 you get what you pay for and companies aren’t willing to pay for quality writing,” said Rashawn.
“What some fail to realize is that writing is an art. Art is not something that can be rushed, and still be quality.”
While up-and-coming journalists have adapted to new journalistic trends, many veterans have yet to take the same leap.
“The freelancers who have been doing this for a while, and are now finding it difficult, are usually the same people that haven’t adapted to the changes in the industry,” said DiProperzio.
Those who’ve made the transition have taken their talents and utilized another outlet to push their work and gain revenue—the Internet.
The Blogosphere has created a lane for writers, and the average person looking to voice their opinion. As a result, many bloggers have turned blogging into a career, establishing an online audience and generating revenue by the amount of views their web page produces.
“A lot of people set up blogs just to make money off of them or be able to have a forum for their voice and opinions. They’re not necessarily writers. But for an actual writer, a blog can be a great place to showcase your work and talent,” said DiProperzio.
Rashawn feels there still lays a misconception of bloggers being considered writers. Drawing a comparison he said, “Blogging to writing is sort of what karaoke is to music. A lot of it is monkey see, monkey do…Now it’s loaded with so many more writers.”
Blogging isn’t the only avenue for online writers. Media outlets such as Examiner and Demand hire and pay freelancers for creating content based on specific topics, utilizing a pay system that works around ad revenue and views per post.
“If it’s places like Demand, Examiner, etc., then the standards don’t seem to be that high. I think this is another thing that’s hurting the industry. Anyone willing to work for a penny per click can call themselves a writer,” said DiProperzio.
The notion of publishers becoming too dependent on free labor, along with an overly crowded and competitive blogosphere, is a scary thought for up-and-coming journalists.
DiProperzio and Washington believe the traditional approach of establishing contacts is still a key factor for journalists, but branching into different sectors of the field can help freelancers gain more work.
Washington said., “It’s all about experience and exposure, as well as building up your contact database.”
“I think if you’re going to ignore other outlets and not branch out into other industries you’re going to continue to struggle. The work is out there; you just have to look harder to find it,” said DiProperzio.