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SPJ Freelance Community

@spjfreelance.bsky.social
1.9K followers 415 following 33 posts

Society of Professional Journalists' Freelance Community offers tips, advice, resources. Comments from community board members, not SPJ.

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#StetChat @stetchat.com · 29/09/2026
Join us for #StetChat! 📆 October 7: Working from Home with Pets 📆 October 21: Editor Scaries 📆 November 4: Expanding Your Offerings 📆 November 18: Gifts for Editors That Don’t Suck 📆 December 2: Holiday Scheduling 📆 December 16: Wrapping Up 2026 📆 January 6: 2027 Goals #amediting #edibuddies
Join us for #StetChat! Upcoming dates and topics:
Oct. 7: Working from Home with Pets
Oct. 21: Editor Scaries
Nov. 4: Expanding Your Offerings
Nov. 18: Gifts for Editors That Don’t Suck
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Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition @coloradofoic.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Join CFOIC and Rocky Mountain PBS for Oct. 19 screenings of The First, a new film about the First Amendment, followed by discussions with filmmaker Brian Malone and presenters Tom Costello of NBC News and Bazi Kanani of Colorado Public Radio.
rmpbs.org
The First Documentary Screening - Free Speech at a Crossroads | Rocky Mountain PBS
A page with info for The First Documentary Screening - Free Speech at a Crossroads
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Ethan Freedman @ethanpfreedman.com · 30/09/2026
"If that $1/word rate from 2000 matched today’s inflation, the average writer should be making about $2/word. But...the average reported pay rate has hovered around $1/word, and stagnant wages mean that freelance writers are functionally making less money now than they were 26 years ago."
objectivejournalism.org
Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2000
New data from the National Writers Union offers a glimpse into a bleak picture of decades-long wage stagnation in freelance journalism.
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hbindc.bsky.social @hbindc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
@spjfreelance.bsky.social
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National Press Club Journalism Institute @npcinstitute.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
As journalists face new risks while covering protests, immigration enforcement operations, and more, preparation is key, said crisis reporting expert Judith Matloff. Read on for her critical physical safety advice for reporters in the field: www.pressclubinstitute.org/2026/06/26/h...
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Barry Petchesky @barryp.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Freelancing is hard enough already, and inflation sucks. Defector is raising our base freelance rates by 20 percent. Great time to pitch us. Email me or pitches@defector.com
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PRB+ Magazine @prbplus.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
CALL FOR STORIES -- It's not even Memorial Day yet, but we're hard at work on our October issue! Our most urgent need: long-form stories (up to 2500 words) about sustainability for our bimonthly supplement.
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Colin Schultz @colinschultz.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
This sounds right from my experience "complex or demanding writing performed better when paired with a straightforward narrative arc that moved from bad news toward hope or resolution. “For traditional news, complex language hurts engagement,” www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...
poynter.org
A new study suggests readers care more about story structure than headlines - Poynter
A Temple study found that storytelling structure — not just simple writing or catchy headlines — shapes how readers engage with news
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Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
No but like seriously everyone go pay for journalism. Pay NPR or if not us pay someone else. Just please pay someone or else seriously all these big ships are going to keep slowwwwwwly sinking.
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Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 09/05/2026
The gumption of the young journalists here alone is worthy of commendation, but I’m most heartened by how local reporting by local people breaks through: “It’s like, ’Yeah, your granddaughter is going through this...it’s something different than Fox News.’” #icymi
mprnews.org
‘The power of truth:’ How high school students reported on the ICE surge in their front yard
Student journalists at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis witnessed federal agents shove staffers and students and deploy pepper spray on school grounds last January. That inspired them to report st...
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Zoë Hannah is bisexual @zoehhannah.com · 01/05/2026
If you got laid off today, I hope you are able to spend the next days or weeks grieving and healing and coming to terms. After that, I hope you pitch me at @mothership.blog for any gender or identity stories you’ve got. I’ll always happily give pitching advice, too. Solidarity ❤️
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The Atavist Magazine @atavist.com · 01/05/2026
We haven't done a wide call for pitches in a while. So here we are, calling! Submissions info at this link: magazine.atavist.com/submissions A flavor of our stories here: magazine.atavist.com/archive cc @studyhall.bsky.social
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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
15 years ago today, Kate and William killed Osama Bin Laden at their wedding.
cover page of The Telegraph's May 4-10 edition creatures a large photo of Kate and William kissing at their wedding atop a large headline that says: Osama bin Laden is dead.

Smaller text above the photo of the couple says: “A day filled with romance, pageantry, and playfulness”
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Katharine O'Moore-Klopf, ELS @kokedit.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
🤣 Actor Denzel Washington has reached out to me about a #freelance gig! And yes, I am indeed board-certified by the Board of Editors in the #Life #Sciences, in whose directory he says he found me. Fellow #MedicalEditors, watch out for this #scam email. It’s arriving under lots of different names.
Screenshot of a scam email sent allegedly by actor Denzel Washington.
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First Amendment Coalition @facoalition.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
A CA school district ordered student journalists to take down two stories -- a violation of the state's student journalists' press rights law. @edsource.org talked to @splc.org and FAC's @davidloy.bsky.social about school admins squelching students' press freedom. edsource.org/2026/high-sc...
edsource.org
Student journalists’ free press rights tested at Marin County high school
Administrators at Redwood High School in Marin County have been accused of violating a state law that protects the First Amendment and free press rights of student journalists at the Redwood Bark,…
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Jacob Rosenberg @jacobrosenberg.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Hey, I'm a Features Editor at New York Mag now. I'll be working on a mix of stuff, with a focus on news and politics. (You can pitch me, or belittle me, at the email in my bio.)
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Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources @ijnr.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Don't forget! Applications for our inaugural cohort of Community Reporting Grant Fellows are due on FRIDAY! Read more about this amazing opportunity for early-career journalists, and find out how to apply. And please consider spreading the word! www.ijnr.org/crp
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SPJ Freelance Community @spjfreelance.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
$100 per piece. (We appreciate outlets who are up front about their rates.)
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The Media and Democracy Project @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
A microcosm of America in 2026: “Who killed the Florida orange?” Masterful journalism & a must read by @alexsammon.bsky.social “…private equity, Wall Street, the Great Recession, suburban sprawl, climate change, an addiction to Monsanto's glyphosate. All swallowed the mighty Florida Orange alive.”
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Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 22/04/2026
“Our relationship with the working media … I don't think is as good anywhere in the country,” claimed LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. But journalists covering LA protests tell a different story. Watch FPF’s @adamrose.bsky.social push back, calling out repeated mistreatment of the press.
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Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor @carolinavonkampen.com · 22/04/2026
If you're in Atlanta for #ACES2026: Freelancers Happy Hour is TONIGHT from 6–9 p.m. at the Westside Motor Lounge (7-min drive from hotel) Hosted by @efafreelancers.bsky.social You do not have to be registered for ACES or an EFA member to attend. Come and connect with fellow #editorial pros!
Graphic that says Freelancers Happy Hour at ACES 2026.
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SPJ Florida @spjflorida.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
We need help! Please consider signing up 🙏 docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/...
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Society of Professional Journalists @spj-posts.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Join the SPJ Ethics Committee for a free virtual panel discussion exploring how to distinguish reporters and ethical journalism from the growing mix of content creators, AI, activists and misinformation online. 🗓 April 28 🕖 7-8 p.m. EDT 🔗Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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TheDesk.net @thedesk.net · 20/04/2026
For the first time in nearly two decades, a channel from ABC News is being distributed by satellite radio company SiriusXM. The channel, ABC News Live, is an audio simulcast of the TV channel of the same name. XM previously offered ABC News & Talk from Citadel until 2007.
thedesk.net
SiriusXM announces two new channels powered by ABC News
April 20, 2026 - SiriusXM has inked a distribution agreement with the Walt Disney Company's ABC News for the distribution of two new channels on its streaming radio platform.
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Pete Croatto @petecroatto.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Me, six weeks ago: Three deadlines in one day will be no problem! I'll just space out the reporting and writing and Bob's your uncle! Me, at 4:15 p.m. today:
media.tenor.com
a man in a suit and tie is holding his head in pain
Alt: a man in a suit and tie is holding his head in pain
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Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor @carolinavonkampen.com · 20/04/2026
UChicago’s #editing certificate program is hosting a webinar on "#Burnout, #Perfectionism, and #ImposterSyndrome: Tools for Resilience and Well-Being” on Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m. CT. Free to attend! Register here: professional.uchicago.edu/events/burno... #edibuddies #amediting #freelanceeditor
professional.uchicago.edu
Burnout, Perfectionism, and Imposter Syndrome: Tools for Resilience and Well-Being
Join our webinar to explore challenges like burnout and imposter syndrome, and gain strategies for resilience and balance in high-pressure environments.
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James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
the penne opticon
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Colin Williams @colinbwilliams.com · 15/04/2026
As of today, 1) we're open for pitches (guidelines to be updated soon) and 2) I'm open to tips. Especially interested in Pittsburgh arts, transit/infrastructure, social justice, and LGBTQ stories beginning in May. Hmu colin@pghcitypaper.com or DM.
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The Margin @themarginus.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Are you interested in reporting on communities on the frontlines of environmental and climate injustice? Pitch us! 1/🧵 buff.ly/GMDiFGa
themargin.us
Pitch Us - The Margin
Read the pitch guidelines and submit your story idea on environmental and climate injustice today.
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The BREAK—DOWN @the-breakdown.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
We are now accepting pitches for Issue #4: China.
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Society of Professional Journalists @spj-posts.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
📣 Join SPJ and the SPJ New England for SkillsFest26! A free, two-day virtual program March 26–27 with hours of hands-on journalism training from top industry pros. 📰 ✍️✅Registration is free and open to all. 🔗Learn more and sign up today!: bit.ly/470WC0i
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Tony Ho Tran @tonyhotran.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
CALL FOR PITCHES: I'm looking for ambitious features and and personal essays for Slate's Business & Tech section. I’m interested in stories about the surprising ways tech and business are reshaping our lives, work, and culture. Strong characters, deep reporting, and big ideas always welcome. 🧵
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hbindc.bsky.social @hbindc.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
@spjfreelance.bsky.social
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Andy Adams @flakphoto.news · 18/03/2026
Call for applications: 2026 Inge Morath Award, a grant given to a woman or nonbinary photographer under the age of 30 to support the completion of a long-term documentary project. Submissions are due April 30, 2026 www.magnumfoundation.org/news/inge-mo...
magnumfoundation.org
Open Call: 2026 Inge Morath Award — Magnum Foundation
We are accepting applications for the Inge Morath Award, a $7,500 grant given to a woman or nonbinary photographer under the age of 30 to support the completion of a long-term documentary project. One...
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Ahmed Zidan @zidan.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
It's "pretty insulting to see scholarship used this way when the academic humanities are currently under attack from every possible angle—as though the actual people who do the thinking and produce the scholarship are reducible to their work itself and can be removed entirely from the equation."
wired.com
Grammarly Is Offering ‘Expert’ AI Reviews From Your Favorite Authors—Dead or Alive
The tool, offered by the recently-rebranded company Superhuman, gives feedback based on the work of famous dead and living writers—without their permission.
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
hello people of the internet. just an occasional reminder that i am an editor with a (very meager) budget to pay you to write stories for me. rates are generally $200-$500. if you live in chicago and have an idea for a news story, pitch me! full pitch guidelines on our website:
chicagoreader.com
Freelance information - Chicago Reader
We are primarily staff-written, but we also run features, news, criticism, videos, and visual works that come from freelance contributors.
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Lex Roman @lexroman.com · 05/03/2026
I just locked the April editorial calendar and I am still seeking pitches for May and June. I publish small business revenue stories. For May: Seeking pitches related to parenthood and entrepreneurship. Deadline to pitch is March 31.
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Lex Roman @lexroman.com · 06/03/2026
Here's the pitch guide! Thank you so much www.revenuerulebreaker.com/contributor-...
revenuerulebreaker.com
Contributor Guide
How to pitch and how to write for Revenue Rulebreaker
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 09/03/2026
"‘The cover-up is brazen’: one journalist’s tenacious, traumatic fight to expose Ghislaine Maxwell. Lucia Osborne-Crowley has endured threats & sexual harassment to report on Jeffrey Epstein’s chief enabler. Maxwell’s conviction was only the start of the quest for justice, she says."
theguardian.com
‘The cover-up is brazen’: one journalist’s tenacious, traumatic fight to expose Ghislaine Maxwell
Lucia Osborne-Crowley has endured threats and sexual harassment to report on Jeffrey Epstein’s chief enabler. Maxwell’s conviction was only the start of the quest for justice, she says
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SPJ Freelance Community @spjfreelance.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Pitch opportunity. www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/u...
linkedin.com
CALLING ALL SCIENCE WRITERS! NEW PITCH OPPORTUNITY! I'll be leading a… | Rich Haridy | 15 comments
CALLING ALL SCIENCE WRITERS! NEW PITCH OPPORTUNITY! I'll be leading a new science and health publication called Refractor. It's a spin-off from New Atlas with a new editorial approach. We'll be laun...
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TheDesk.net @thedesk.net · 03/03/2026
Most people are watching video podcasts on YouTube, according to a new survey from Ampere Analysis — but TikTok is big for watching clips of podcasts, and some viewership is being funneled into YouTube accordingly.
thedesk.net
Ampere: YouTube is dominant platform for video podcast viewing
Younger viewers drive growth, with those ages 18 to 34 being 24 percent more likely to watch, and 60 percent of video viewers also listening to audio podcasts weekly.
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Green European Journal @greeneujournal.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
📢 Send us your pitches! Our next print edition will explore Europe’s new demographic reality. We are looking for... ✍️ Essays and interviews 📷 Photo essays 🖌️ Comics and graphic journalism 📖 Fiction and creative nonfiction ⏰ Deadline: 24 March 2026 Learn more👇
greeneuropeanjournal.eu
Call for Pitches: Demographic Futures
The next print edition of the Green European Journal will look at Europe’s new demographic reality. We are open to essays, photo essays, interviews, graphic journalism, and more.
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hbindc.bsky.social @hbindc.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The Pulitzer Center is doing this survey. I hope a lot of independent journalists will participate. pulitzercenter.tfaforms.net/5052169 @spjfreelance.bsky.social
pulitzercenter.tfaforms.net
Survey on Journalism and Impact Approaches
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hbindc.bsky.social @hbindc.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
@spjfreelance.bsky.social The New England First Amendment Coalition offers a series of 30-minute, free training webinars. Coming up March 19 is Copyediting 101, and April 10 is Consumer Reporting Skills 101. nefac.org/30minuteskil...
nefac.org
30 Minute Skills – New England First Amendment Coalition
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The Institute for Independent Journalists @indiejournalists.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Robin Kazmier is senior digital editor for Science Friday, and she wants pitches that demonstrate how science helps us better understand the world we live in. On the Freelance Journalism Podcast, she shares key insights for freelancers looking to pitch: youtu.be/nupktV_EK5M
youtu.be
For $1/word, Science Friday wants enterprise stories that spark curiosity
Robin Kazmier is senior digital editor for Science Friday, overseeing the digital operation for the beloved radio show that’s broadcast to more than 500 publ...
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The Haunted Bookshop @thehauntedbookshop.com · 11/02/2026
For those of you who were keeping up with the mass market mess, here is a more informative article. Trade paperbacks cost only 30c more to make and are priced $18-20 now, where mass market paperbacks didn't sell at $12. So... there's your answer. It's about margins. boingboing.net/2026/02/10/t...
boingboing.net
The mass market paperback is vanishing
The mass market paperback — born in 1935, boomed after WWII — is vanishing from airports, drugstores, and groceries.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
A photo of gallup
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 11/02/2026
"Google expands tools to let users remove sensitive data about themselves from Search" techcrunch.com/2026/02/10/g...
techcrunch.com
Google expands tools to let users remove sensitive data about themselves from Search | TechCrunch
Users will be able to more easily request the removal of results that include private information or non-consensual explicit imagery.
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
If you were a journalist or creative that was laid off by the Washington Post and you want to work for an independent, pro democracy news outlet, Democracy Docket is hiring. bit.ly/45Qaw4K
bit.ly
Talent Community – Future Opportunities at Democracy Docket | Work With Us
Join Our Talent Community Future Opportunities at Democracy Docket Democracy Docket is growing — and while we may not have the exact role f...
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SPJ Freelance Community @spjfreelance.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Allrecipes: Seeking pitches for a Route 66 package focused on food, connection, and home-cook traditions along the route. We’re less interested in straight history and more interested in stories that feel lived-in, welcoming, and grounded in real places and people. Use linked form. Deadline: Feb. 16
docs.google.com
Allrecipes Pitch Submission Form
Allrecipes is seeking pitches for a Route 66 package focused on food, connection, and home-cook traditions along the route. We’re less interested in straight history and more interested in stories tha...
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