The Freelance Journalism Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Want to land your hot take in the New York Times? Opinion Editor Katie Kingsbury and host Katherine Reynolds Lewis discuss how you can pitch The Times your opinion piece. Highlights include: what Katie’s ideal pitch looks like, and what to expect from the editing process. Katie also peels back the curtain on a few of her favorite op-eds, revealing what it takes to get a piece from a pitch to the printed page.

Katie Kingsbury has been at the Times since 2017. Before she was running the desk, she was a deputy editor working on pieces surrounding guns, domestic violence, race, and culture. Prior to that, she worked at The Boston Globe as Managing Editor of Digital. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her series on poor working conditions and pay in the restaurant industry.

John Lewis's posthumous guest essay on standing up for your beliefshttps://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/opinion/john-lewis-civil-rights-america.htmlEmi Nightfeld on working for Googlehttps://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/opinion/google-job-harassment.htmlConnie Wang's multimedia piece on the generation of Asian American women named after Connie Chunghttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/11/opinion/connie-chung-named-after.htmlDebra Kamin's path from freelancing about real estate to a stafferhttps://www.nytimes.com/by/debra-kamin

Katherine Reynolds Lewis is the founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists. A science journalist and author who writes about education, equity, mental health, parenting, journalism, and social justice, she previously worked as a national correspondent for Newhouse News Service and Bloomberg News.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Versatility is not only a strength, it's an adventure. Just ask self-proclaimed "Swiss Army knife" Fin Leary, program manager at We Need Diverse Books. Fin has built his career freelance writing journalism as well as fiction, and advancing representation for queer and disabled people in both realms.

Fin Leary is a Boston-based fiction author, freelance writer and book reviewer who serves as the program manager for We Need Diverse Books. Fin is a 2024 Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ+ Voices Fellow for Young Adult Fiction, and also teaches publishing and writing at Emerson College.

Shernay Williams is a freelance video journalist based in Baltimore, MD focused on health and entrepreneurship. She's the founder of a national directory called The Black Mompreneur as well as The StorySuite, a content agency.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Print gigs are elusive these days and the competition is fierce. Journalist and professor Erika Hayasaki interviews Chris Gayomali, freelance journalist and former articles editor for GQ. They discuss how to navigate the choppy waters of today’s print landscape. Highlights include: the pay disparity between print and online work, playing both sides of the editor/contributor relationship, and starting your own newsletter.

Chris Gayomali is a freelance writer and editor, mostly recently working as the articles editor for GQ. He also writes a newsletter about modern health and wellness called HEAVIES. Here's the story that made Chris "the leg lengthening guy:" https://www.gq.com/story/leg-lengthening

Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, psychology, inequality, science, technology, history, and the human condition. She is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and currently teaches at the University of California, Irvine as a professor in the Literary Journalism Program. She writes the newsletter The Reported Essay.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

The Freelance Journalism Podcast: about the art and business of freelance journalism. Hear from assigning editors about what they look for in a story pitch, and listen in to conversations between freelancers about how they are making it work. New episodes every month starting Nov. 26.

The FJP is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more at theiij.com 

It might be a freelancer's worst nightmare: getting sued over your reporting. After Lisa Kwon reported a story for nonprofit newsroom Knock L.A on Airbnb operators, one of them took Kwon to court. In this episode, she shares her side of the story with IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis, along with important advice for freelance journalists on how to protect yourself

Lisa Kwon is a freelance reporter and writer covering pop culture and Los Angeles happenings. You can find her work on Vulture, Vice, Dirt, LA Taco, Los Angeles Public Press, and more.

Katherine Reynolds Lewis is the founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists. A science journalist and author who writes about education, equity, mental health, parenting, journalism, and social justice, she previously worked as a national correspondent for Newhouse News Service and Bloomberg News.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Have you ever wanted to start your own newsletter but weren’t sure how? The key is probably the one thing freelance journalists hate the most: self promotion. Host Katherine Reynolds Lewis talks strategy with Lex Roman, an expert on growth marketing. This discussion gets detailed – Lex digs into the numbers, and shares strategies for finding and growing an audience of paid subscribers.

Lex Roman is a growth marketing consultant with 10+ years of experience in helping tech companies grow. For the last few years, she’s been helping creatives grow their businesses, and more recently she’s turned her attention to journalists. Last year she launched her own newsletter, Journalists Pay Themselves: a guide for those going it alone.

Katherine Reynolds Lewis is the founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists. A science journalist and author who writes about education, equity, mental health, parenting, journalism, and social justice, she previously worked as a national correspondent for Newhouse News Service and Bloomberg News.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

In his years as a freelance journalist and writer, Gil Asakawa has carved out a few niches for himself, including music journalism, pop culture, and Japanese-American and Asian-American cultures and communities. He's written two books: Being Japanese-American and Tabemoshi! Let's Eat! A Tasty History of Japanese Food. He joins IIJ leader Erika Hayasaki to discuss his career journey and the advice he gives to new journalists.

Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, psychology, inequality, science, technology, history, and the human condition. She is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and currently teaches at the University of California, Irvine as a professor in the Literary Journalism Program.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of The Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers. Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Cybersecurity pitches wanted! Alan Henry, managing editor for PCMag, talks with IIJ leader Shernay Williams about the stories he needs from freelancers right now.

They also discuss Henry's career journey, and the inspiration behind his 2022 book "Seen, Heard and Paid: New Work Rules for the Marginalized."

Shernay Williams is a freelance video journalist based in Baltimore, MD focused on health and entrepreneurship. She's the founder of a national directory called the Black Mompreneur as well as the StorySuite, a content agency.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial and emotional well-being of BIPOC freelancers.

Learn more about our work at theiij.com

Adriana Lacy is a multi-talented journalist and consultant, and founder of Adriana Lacy Consulting, Journalism Mentors, and most recently, Influencer Journalism. In this wide-ranging conversation with IIJ leader Shernay Williams, Lacy lays out how to build a freelance business around content strategy, engagement, and social media – and how she generates enough consulting work for her whole team.

Shernay Williams is a freelance video journalist based in Baltimore, MD focused on health and entrepreneurship. She's the founder of a national directory called The Black Mompreneur as well as The StorySuite, a content agency.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com.

Isabelle Kohn is a senior editor for Slate’s Life section, specializing in stories about sex, gender, relationships, and work. Kohn talked with Erika Hayasaki about how to pitch a story on any of those beats. Kohn shares several examples of successful (and sexy) pitches, along with guidance on how to make yours stand out.

Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, psychology, inequality, science, technology, history, and the human condition. She writes a newsletter called The Reported Essay. She is a former national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and currently teaches at the University of California, Irvine as a professor in the Literary Journalism Program.

You can pitch Isabelle at isabelle.kohn@slate.com. Under the Slate contract, contributors license their copyright exclusively to Slate for three months, after which time they retain non-exclusive rights. Contributors irrevocably and unconditionally waive, in perpetuity, their moral rights, meaning they cannot insist on being identified as the author of the work or object to derogatory treatment of the work. In a positive note for freelancers, there is no indemnity clause. Contributors retain derivative rights, and agree to notify Slate before taking steps to create a derivative work, such as a movie or book, and if requested, to work with Slate on mutually agreeable terms for such a production.

The Freelance Journalism Podcast is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, whose mission is the financial and emotional sustainability of freelancers of color. Learn more about our work at theiij.com.