Category: Discussions

Food for thought

by Gerard Cunningham • March 14, 2012 • Comments Off

A personal opinion: Jobbridge

by Gerard Cunningham • March 8, 2012 • Comments Off

At the time of writing, a search of the JobBridge website for the word “journalist” brings up eight hits, ranging from national and provincial newspapers to a local radio station and several openings for the position of “online journalist”. The…

Not earning but learning

by Kieran Fagan • February 27, 2012 • 1 Comment

A former hack who is now a barrister tells me that business is very quiet at the Law Library, and that some of the more experienced practitioners are encouraging the newer ones to make use of the down time. “If…

How to deal with plagiarism

by Gerard Cunningham • February 12, 2012 • Comments Off

So there you are, surfing the internet, when you come across a news website that looks familiar, and you realise its an article you wrote, or a photograph you took, or perhaps both. What do you do? I received just…

Media diversity: Speech by Pat Rabbitte

by Gerard Cunningham • February 6, 2012 • 2 Comments

Media Diversity: Why does it matter? Speech by Pat Rabbitte TD Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources “Media Diversity: Why does it matter?” Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8 6 February 2012 Good afternoon everyone, thank you for…

Media diversity: Alan Crosbie

by Gerard Cunningham • February 6, 2012 • Comments Off

MEDIA DIVERSITY AND WHY IT MATTERS G. ALAN CROSBIE Monday, 6th February, 2012. Ladies and Gentlemen, Freedom of speech, freedom of expression — we all approve of them. We don’t always remember that freedom to make up our own minds…

Long-form journalism and self-publishing

by Gerard Cunningham • December 28, 2011 • Comments Off

The future of “long-form journalism” has exercised several minds in recent times. Some wonder if extended pieces have a future in the age of instant consumption, when the ideal article length for a web page appears to be around 500…

And your specialised subject is…

by Gerard Cunningham • December 12, 2011 • 1 Comment

Last week, I blogged here on the “sameness” of many panel discussions on radio, where the same voices keep popping up again and again. That in turn led to a conversation with a radio producer about the difficulty in identifying…

Crowdsourcing experiment: A draft freelance contract

by Gerard Cunningham • November 24, 2011 • 1 Comment

The question is, what terms do I operate under? I get offered contracts to sign on occasion, and sometimes I even sign them without objecting if they’re well written. Other times, I simply make an oral agreement. Happily, the people…

The future of public service media in Ireland

by Kieran Fagan • October 19, 2011 • Comments Off

RTÉ director general Noel Curran gave a closely argued “state of the nation” address to an invited audience at DCU on Monday October 24, the first of a series of lectures on the public and the media arranged by the…

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Six things we learned from the Freelance Journalism Assembly

Despite the increasing challenges, freelancers continue to be a vital workforce within the journalism space.
Freelancers produce independent, quality and innovative journalism that promotes healthy democracies, ignites public debate and brings the powerful to account. However, to this day, there is no statistical evidence for the number of active freelance journalists in Europe. Nor is there a concise overview available of the opportunities, working conditions, and legal frameworks for freelance journalists, and how these differ between the various European countries.

Must-Know Irish Deadlines

A simple guide to Irish Media Deadlines by MediaHQ. Aimed at PR professionals, but also useful information for freelancers looking to send in pitches.

A handbook for pitching development stories

The European Journalism Centre’s guide to pitching development stories as a freelance journalist is based on real-world advice and experience from both editors who receive pitches and freelance journalists who send them.

The guide is primarily intended to support freelance journalists in improving their pitches and chances of being commissioned and/or hired by news organisations and publishers. We know that editors receive a high volume of pitches and truly hope this handbook helps you prepare winning pitches that stand out from the crowd and can improve your stories on development issues.

Download the free guide from the Freeance Journalism Assembly.

Setting Up As A Freelance

When most of us start submitting articles to as many outlets as we can find to commission them, you probably don’t see yourself as a ‘business’. You’re just grafting, trying to earn a few bob and hoping each story won’t be your last.
Many young freelancers will be holding down other work, maybe not journalistic, just to make ends meet. Others will be providing services for free, interning in the hopes of being held on.
But you are a business, at least in the eyes of the Revenue Commissioners. And as such, you need to structure your working week.
Read more here.

Why You Should Turn Your Investigative Report into an eBook

The Missouri School of Journalism’s Roger Fidler has been developing journalism eBooks, or “newsbooks”, since 2001. He tells ICIJ how eBooks make investigative journalism easier to access and read on mobile devices, and could provide a valuable revenue stream.
Read more here.

Four Questions Freelancers Should Ask Before Accepting Their Next Gig

As freelancers, our instinct is to grab every gig that comes our way. Personally, I’ve never found it easy to decline work, especially if I’ve said yes to similar jobs in the past. But how will that short-term paycheck affect my long-term career goals?
Read more here.

Credit Control for Freelances

Credit control is something every small business has to deal with, and freelance journalists are no exception. At some point in your career, you will find yourself dealing with late paying clients, clients who are slow to pay, and sometimes, clients who just refuse to pay.
Read more here.