The Institute for Independent Journalists Presents
IIJ 2023 Freelance Journalism Conference Recordings
Conference recordings are available now for all 10 panels and keynotes! Only $89 for 12 hours of learning and connection.
Key Takeaways
About the Recordings
- Our conference addresses the most pressing questions pertinent to journalists at every level: from beginners to years of experience.
- Each workshop is by journalists, for journalists, so speakers stay on topic and offer clear takeaways and actionable advice.
- We seek to be an anti-racist organization that centers the most marginalized identities. (Everyone is welcome!)
Part One
Negotiating with Confidence and Ease
To build a sustainable freelance career, you need rock-solid contracts, good hourly rates, and the confidence to know when to walk away. Learn how to negotiate rates, understand contracts, protect yourself, and make the case for what you need in an assignment, from this panel of experienced independent journalists and a media law attorney. Speakers will share specific tips, negotiation strategies, and language to secure the rate and contract terms you need.
Thursday Keynote Address: Stephanie Foo in Conversation with Ly Tran
Stephanie Foo is the author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. She has written for Vox, The New York Times and The Atlantic. She worked as a radio producer for This American Life and Snap Judgment, and her stories aired on Reply All, 99% Invisible, Radiolab. A noted speaker and instructor, she has taught at Columbia University and has spoken at venues from Sundance Film Festival to the Missouri Department of Mental Health.Ly Tran graduated from Columbia University with a degree in creative writing and linguistics. She has received fellowships from MacDowell, Art Omi, Yaddo, and Millay Arts. House of Sticks is her first book.
Become an Editor’s Go-To Writer
Learn directly from editors how to report a pitch that will be noticed, accepted, and published, and what to expect during the process. This roundtable of top editors will share what it takes to make them open your email, read your pitch, and say, “yes!” They will also discuss best practices and answer your questions to help you ace the pitch – and land follow-up assignments.
The Power Story Edit
Journalists invariably wield privilege and power, as we shape a narrative and select scenes, quotes, themes, arguments, and information to include. This panel will tackle the ways we can reframe, report, write, and structure our stories in light of our privilege and the power hierarchies among the people we interview. Panelists at the forefront of these conversations will discuss: How do we re-examine these power dynamics within our own reporting and journalistic practices? How can we think more critically about the people we report on in our stories—from exploitation, to breaking news, to trauma narratives and true crime? How can we as journalists speak truth to power while operating within news organizations that are often set in their ways?
Funding Your Work with Fellowships
Freelancing can be a grind, working on one small project at a time and constantly cycling through assignments. Fellowships and grants offer an invaluable opportunity to learn new skills while gaining the time, space and resources to focus on in-depth and meaningful work. Fellowship directors and recipients will share how fellowships work, how to apply and how to stand out when you do!
Part Two
Tap Into Your Talents: Adding New Revenue Streams
Independent journalists generate income from writing books, speaking for pay, teaching, consulting, newsletters, and more. Is one of these paths for you? This business-savvy panel will explain how to get into these fields, what kind of income they can generate, and the realities and myths of each revenue stream, to help you decide what’s right for you.
Friday Keynote Address: Lynell George in conversation with Adrienne Johnson Martin
Lynell George is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist, essayist and author. Her work explores social issues and human behavior, as well as urban histories, visual art, music and literature. A former staff writer for both the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly, her pieces have appeared in Sierra, Alta Journal, New York Times, Preservation, Oxford American, among other publications. Her liner notes for "Otis Redding Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings" won a GRAMMY in 2017. She is the author of No Crystal Stair: African Americans in the City of Angels, After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame. Her most recent book, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler was a 2021 Hugo Award Finalist. Lynell will be in Conversation with Adrienne Johnson Martin, executive editor of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism.
Supercharge Your Pitching Skills
Have you ever wondered how to land an assignment in your dream publication? This session pulls back the curtain, as editors decode the art of pitching. Each speaker will share what they want to see in a pitch, how to get their attention, the key to delivering a winning assignment, and what they’re looking for in a regular contributor. Bring all your burning questions!
Speak Up: Adding Podcasting to Your Portfolio
Is this the moment for the world to hear your voice? Panelists will discuss the pros and cons of adding podcasting to your portfolio of work. This session covers how to start a podcast as well as other roles freelancers can play in the reporting, production and launch of a podcast.
Picture Perfect: Succeeding as an Independent Photojournalist
Learn how to build a career as a freelance photojournalist. Hear from thriving photojournalists as they share their stories, strategies, and pitfalls to avoid. The panel will explain the photo assignment process, which publications pay better, and how to scope a photo project.
The Institute for Independent Journalists
The Institute for Independent Journalists is an education, professional development, and mutual support organization for independent journalists, focusing on Black, Indigenous and people of color. Our mission is financial and emotional sustainability for independent journalists of color, through community learning, innovation and advocacy.
Patrick Jones - Course author
