Are there going to be too many freelance journalists?
Every day I’m seeing more and more announcements of staff journalists going freelance. Many are as a result of mass redundancies at places like Business Insider, Stylist and Glamour, while some just want a taste of that freedom. But will there be too many journalists swimming around in this ever-expanding freelance pool with too little work to go around for everyone? I know from speaking to long-established freelance journalists that times are tough, budgets are being squeezed, more titles are going under, and opportunities are therefore limited. Personally I am finding more and more that when I pitch new (to me) editors there’s many rejections while many editors are too swamped to even reply. It’s a tough and squeezed market out there.
Saying that, I would never stop someone from going freelance. After a micromanaging and bullying boss, I decided to go freelance in 2011 and sloped off to South America for four months. I did expect I'd pursue a career with a national newspaper afterwards (I did apply for one role but came second) but I soon discovered that I relished freelance life, realising it meant I could clock up stints in Berlin, New York, Lisbon, and so on. I did end up working for the nationals, and started writing for the Guardian circa 2014 and the BBC in 2015, and ending up working shifts and covering editors at the Guardian, and becoming part-time acting editor of one section for six months.
Freelance life has afforded me a rich and colourful life where I’ve been able to write on subjects from human rights and the environment to celebrity interviews and technology for a range of titles. But I also know, even with someone with an almost 20-year history as a journalist, how difficult it is to sustain this career. I know that my pay packet will never surpass a certain amount – in fact, for several years, I’ve seen it slide, especially as I’ve worked on stories that fill my soul but take an age to work on, leading to rates that don't even equate to minimum wage at times.
I’d tell any aspiring freelancer to go for it but know that you need to build strong contacts, to be tenacious, but also to have other revenue streams coming in (unless you're fortunate to come from money or have a partner who can support you financially, which I know some do).
But with more redundancies thanks to the sweeping changes in the way people consume media and titles built on mass-market print circulation struggling to adapt, there’s clearly not enough journalism work to go around (and yes, there is Substack but for most freelance journalists, this ain't even going to cover their electricity bill). I know many journalists who are constantly stressed about their bank accounts right now. I refer to a previous newsletter where I wrote about well-established journalists such as Terri White (ex editor of Empire) who was very vocal about the lack of work available - even including content work (thanks AI). So while I celebrate anyone making the leap (who doesn't want to not set an alarm, not be beholden to a boss, and be able to take a walking tour at 11am tomorrow in Roma and Condesa - yup, that's my plan after working all evening), I'd say rein in the expenditure and scout out other ways to make money too as there's a battle for every freelance commission right now.