If you have a passion for writing, a drive to evangelize for the truth, or some combination of the two, you might make an excellent journalist. Working for a major media organization can reward you with a handsome salary and significant prestige, but it also limits what you can cover and can be prohibitive in terms of scheduling and assignments.
That’s one of several reasons why some young professionals these days are turning to independent journalism. When you take this path, you may write about the stories that are most relevant to you, and get them published and distributed as far as possible.
You can maintain total independence from the establishment and make good money at it if you’re successful. But what does it take to become an independent journalist if you have no experience?
The Path to Becoming an Independent Journalist
The track to become an independent journalist is fairly straightforward, though each step will present challenges and difficulties:
- Education. You’ll start by getting an education. Possession of a degree isn’t a strict requirement for a professional journalist, especially when you don’t plan on being employed directly by any major organization, but you should still think about getting trained at the college level. A four-year degree in journalism or a related field is going to offer a massive advantage when you seek to make a name for yourself.
- Training and experience. Next, you’ll need to focus on work training and experience. If you want publishers and editors to look at your writing, you have to prove you’re worth reading. Initially, that will mean composing articles in your spare time, starting your own blog, and/or working as an intern or in another entry-level position for a media organization. There are many ways to obtain appropriate experience, but no matter which, you’ll have to spend some time polishing your skills and demonstrating your news reporting and analytical skills.
- Initial publishing. Once you have some experience, you should be ready to publish a few stories. You might already have a blog that features an array of pieces you’ve written, and that’s a great start, but eventually you’ll need to start working with major publishers if you want to disseminate your personal brand and build an audience. Look for publishers that take open contributions, such as NewsReports, and offer pitches that appeal to their target audience. If you’re open to feedback, and you work well with editors, you should have no trouble getting a few stories published.
- Career growth. After you’ve started to make a name for yourself, focus on building a career that has solid and enduring momentum. As your stories get attention, you’ll attract followers and become connected with larger and more prominent outlets. It’s also a smart idea to network with other journalists and share tips to support one another.
Crucial Skills to Develop
In addition to all the things you’ll have learned about news gathering, coverage, and analysis in school, there are some vital skills you’ll need to develop if you hope to become a successful independent journalist.
- Integrity. Your first and most essential responsibility is to the truth. Without integrity, publishers won’t be interested in your work and you’ll have almost no chance to build a following.
- Precision. The facts matter. You don’t want to have to print retractions on a regular basis, so it’s critical to fact-check your work, vet all your sources, and avoid putting things in print if you’re not yet sure about them.
- Writing style. What is your style? You’ll want something aesthetically pleasing, easy to understand, yet distinctive if you expect to stand out in this field.
- Technical adherence. You’ll have to adhere to whatever formal standards apply according to your current publishers.
- Deadlines and time management. Can you meet deadlines consistently and efficiently?
- Relationship development. Don’t underestimate the importance of building and maintaining relationships as you become a more prominent writer. Part of your job is to get to know different editors and publishers – and provide them with a steady supply of new content.
- Flexibility and adaptability. Always be willing to learn, grow, and change your work when necessary. If you become too fixated on your own ideas, or get stuck following bygone habits, you’re likely to fail.
The Competition
There are more than 31.7 million bloggers in the United States, and more debut every day. Many of these are independent journalists or operate in a related field.
If you are to have any hope of standing out and getting published instead of your competitors, you have to find what makes you unique. What about your approach to independent journalism makes you better than – or at least different from – everyone else?
What can you do that no one else can’t? If you can identify this and work on it, you’ll have a better shot at success.
Working as a freelance journalist isn’t easy. Building a viable long-term career with a healthy salary is even harder. But if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, from the very start, you’ll have a much better chance of getting the results you desire.