Be Freelance Journalist
There are, of course, many more than 10 good reason to become a freelance journalist and writer, however, the ones selected for this article are of particular importance for anybody who is seriously considering this vocation.
1. You can choose the type of article you want to write.
2. You can select where and when to do your writing. Wherever and whenever you produce your best work is your choice every day for the rest of your life.
3. You can determine the style of your articles. Your preferred style of writing is one that you can refine until you can write that way on almost every subject.
4. You decide on the depth of your articles and the amount of information they will contain. Many writers enjoy research, and can spend hours wallowing amid search engines and mountains of articles, facts, images, and other data on the subject matter. You can select your ideal from either end of this range or anywhere in between, and once you have your perfect level, it is better to stick with it.
5. You can even select the media where you want your work published. If you have one or two subjects that you can write about from increasing strength and with authority, you are more able to select your media—right down to defining the actual newspapers or magazines where you will submit your work.
6. When your writing has power, depth, and authority, you can quickly become a writer that editors turn to for a specific article. You can actually become a ‘name’, somebody that people refer to for the authoritative opinion, decision, or article on a given subject. Naturally, this requires considerable knowledge, experience, and research but is a goal that is attainable within any journalistic niche.
7. You can become a freelance writer and journalist at any age, because your readers enjoy good articles and editors commission and pay for articles that their readers want.
8. You can sell your articles over and over again. Most freelance journalists and writers tend to retain ownership of the copyright to their work, which enables them to syndicate it worldwide. There are over 100,000 newspapers and magazines published in the Western world and if you can sell your article for only $25 to only 1% of them, you net $25,000 in one mailing.
9. You can decide your own level of income. You can also set the price of your individual articles, according to the quality and value of your work.
10. You can write a bestseller and retire young! You can even publish a compilation of some of your articles into a book, and some of these hit the bestseller list; as did “The Root Report”, which was published in England many years ago and is still in the bookshops.
Reas Also:
* Journalist at Work
* Making the News
* Journalist or Reporter
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Journalist Or Reporter
Journalist Or Reporter
The first thing a new reporter does on a beat is introduce himself to all the principle people on that beat. For example a reporter covering a federal courthouse would introduce himself to the chief judge in the district and to the US Attorney for the district, also to the clerk of the courts and the head of the US Marshal Service in that courthouse.
If I were covering the fashion world for a fashion magazine, I would first learn who the newsmakers were. You might also find out that many of the people in the fashion industry employ public relations firms to get the word out, so introduce yourself to the major PR people.
Depending on what your position is on your magazine, you might ask for help from some of the senior writers or editors. My practice was always to ask for help, no matter what the situation was. Sometimes people will see you as a threat to their jobs so they might refuse to help you, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Keep an open mind and be creative in your search for information and for contacts.
Generally speaking, you are a journalist if you write for a newspaper, magazine or other kind of journal that reports the news regularly. According to American tradition and constitutional law, the profession of journalism is separate from and independent of government regulation or registration.This is important because it is felt within the journalism profession that once we submit to being registered and licensed by government, then the government that we are obliged to report on can then decide who is and who isn't a journalist.
That means if I begin to report unfavorable facts about the way the government is doing business, they would have the power to revoke my registration and silence my journalistic voice. Generally in this country you are a journalist if you report and write the news for a regularly published newspaper or magazine.
Various news organizations issue identification cards for their own employees and that should be enough. We steadfastly resist government's attempt to regulate us.For if we allow them to regulate and license us, we also allow them to revoke that license and to silence us.I know I have repeated this principle several times, but it is important enough to bear repeating.
A journalist is a person who reports and writes the news. He is usually an employee of a newspaper, or works under a contractual arrangement with a newspaper. The term is broad, it can include peple who report for magazines or for radio and TV stations. The freedom of the press and freedom for journalists to report the news is not a universal freedom.
Reas Also:
* Journalist at Work
* Making the News
The first thing a new reporter does on a beat is introduce himself to all the principle people on that beat. For example a reporter covering a federal courthouse would introduce himself to the chief judge in the district and to the US Attorney for the district, also to the clerk of the courts and the head of the US Marshal Service in that courthouse.
If I were covering the fashion world for a fashion magazine, I would first learn who the newsmakers were. You might also find out that many of the people in the fashion industry employ public relations firms to get the word out, so introduce yourself to the major PR people.
Depending on what your position is on your magazine, you might ask for help from some of the senior writers or editors. My practice was always to ask for help, no matter what the situation was. Sometimes people will see you as a threat to their jobs so they might refuse to help you, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Keep an open mind and be creative in your search for information and for contacts.
Generally speaking, you are a journalist if you write for a newspaper, magazine or other kind of journal that reports the news regularly. According to American tradition and constitutional law, the profession of journalism is separate from and independent of government regulation or registration.This is important because it is felt within the journalism profession that once we submit to being registered and licensed by government, then the government that we are obliged to report on can then decide who is and who isn't a journalist.
That means if I begin to report unfavorable facts about the way the government is doing business, they would have the power to revoke my registration and silence my journalistic voice. Generally in this country you are a journalist if you report and write the news for a regularly published newspaper or magazine.
Various news organizations issue identification cards for their own employees and that should be enough. We steadfastly resist government's attempt to regulate us.For if we allow them to regulate and license us, we also allow them to revoke that license and to silence us.I know I have repeated this principle several times, but it is important enough to bear repeating.
A journalist is a person who reports and writes the news. He is usually an employee of a newspaper, or works under a contractual arrangement with a newspaper. The term is broad, it can include peple who report for magazines or for radio and TV stations. The freedom of the press and freedom for journalists to report the news is not a universal freedom.
Reas Also:
* Journalist at Work
* Making the News
Making the News
Making the News
What makes a good media release and how do you engage the media with your story idea? How do you pitch stories to the media, especially hard-nosed news hounds who can sniff out a 'puff piece' a mile away?
The media receives literally hundreds of media releases a day, many which are instantly disregarded. Why? A number of factors contribute to the demise of a media release, one key aspect however that contributes to a well written and published releases is the writers ability to be media savvy, that is identify the aspects an editor is looking for when selecting the day’s news.
In an in-depth interview with a veteran news editor and journalist I posed the question “ What makes a good media release?” Here are his 7 tips in identifying a good release;
1. One that makes sense.
An obvious point but one often overlooked in the pressure to put out a media
statement.
2. Appeals to a wide range of people.
3. Does not have an obvious 'spin'
4. For radio - it must be something that will engender talkback and discussion.
5. For newspapers - it must be important, newsy and interesting
6. Deliver it via email.
Reas Also:
* Journalist at Work
What makes a good media release and how do you engage the media with your story idea? How do you pitch stories to the media, especially hard-nosed news hounds who can sniff out a 'puff piece' a mile away?
The media receives literally hundreds of media releases a day, many which are instantly disregarded. Why? A number of factors contribute to the demise of a media release, one key aspect however that contributes to a well written and published releases is the writers ability to be media savvy, that is identify the aspects an editor is looking for when selecting the day’s news.
In an in-depth interview with a veteran news editor and journalist I posed the question “ What makes a good media release?” Here are his 7 tips in identifying a good release;
1. One that makes sense.
An obvious point but one often overlooked in the pressure to put out a media
statement.
2. Appeals to a wide range of people.
3. Does not have an obvious 'spin'
4. For radio - it must be something that will engender talkback and discussion.
5. For newspapers - it must be important, newsy and interesting
6. Deliver it via email.
Reas Also:
* Journalist at Work
Journalist at work
Journalist at work
One of the most important activities that makes a journalist unique, is related to "sources." There are many information sources where the journalist is dependent on: news feeds, rumors and informants who offer the journalist a story to elaborate on; the lead.
In business this information processing activity is also very important as we continuously read information, summarize it, and continue our own work on the basis of the information delivered by these (third party) sources.
Information is a factor of production and information exchange and information processing is therefore supporting the main business process of an organization.
But what if the source is not (completely) correct? As information spreads itself like a virus, the error of the un-validated source may penetrate deep into the organs of the organization. When this happens the organization is working with information that is not accurate or in the worst-case scenario wrong.
We all exercise, at different moments, the role of the journalist at work in an activity where we acknowledge what we receive from others, validate it and only then continue to work with it. This is a very implicit process hardly visible but when this validation gets flawed a chain of activities gets infected with wrong data. Therefore, the journalist at work is a role to keep in mind. This is not only the case when reading information in e-mails, but also when attending presentations.
The other side is also true and implicit damaging: acknowledging a new source of information but decline it just because not trusting the source. In either way, beware of this role; the journalist at work.
One of the most important activities that makes a journalist unique, is related to "sources." There are many information sources where the journalist is dependent on: news feeds, rumors and informants who offer the journalist a story to elaborate on; the lead.
In business this information processing activity is also very important as we continuously read information, summarize it, and continue our own work on the basis of the information delivered by these (third party) sources.
Information is a factor of production and information exchange and information processing is therefore supporting the main business process of an organization.
But what if the source is not (completely) correct? As information spreads itself like a virus, the error of the un-validated source may penetrate deep into the organs of the organization. When this happens the organization is working with information that is not accurate or in the worst-case scenario wrong.
We all exercise, at different moments, the role of the journalist at work in an activity where we acknowledge what we receive from others, validate it and only then continue to work with it. This is a very implicit process hardly visible but when this validation gets flawed a chain of activities gets infected with wrong data. Therefore, the journalist at work is a role to keep in mind. This is not only the case when reading information in e-mails, but also when attending presentations.
The other side is also true and implicit damaging: acknowledging a new source of information but decline it just because not trusting the source. In either way, beware of this role; the journalist at work.
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