Kristen Fischer's Blog Member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors

Considering a Career Change?

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Poynter has a regularly updated post up about newsroom layoffs, furloughs and closures. To me, it’s hard to watch all the publications and professionals being impacted by the pandemic. I wonder how the pandemic may change the media, and also how it may shift for the better.

There are no easy answers on this, I suppose. A shift is happening, though, as many people are considering career changes. For writers and media folks, that may mean switching jobs. But I imagine others are thinking of taking up a new career in a different industry.

I liked what a post in The Muse had to say about career changes, because they pose some useful questions to ask if you are considering a change. These include:

  • Do I Have the Financial Resources to Support a Career Change?
  • Do I Want to Change Careers, or Do I Just Not Like Working During a Pandemic?
  • What Am I Looking For in My New Career?
  • What Is My Mental and Emotional State Right Now?

I’ve always loved that journalism develops a diverse skillset. That is, I think it’s a great foundation to do something else if you so choose. Journos aren’t just writers–they’re great at researching, organizing information, interacting with others, managing content. There are so many alternative career choices for those who choose to leave journalism or the media world altogether.

At the same time, I am concerned that the upset from the pandemic could result in less diversity in our field. It could essentially force out quality journalists. It could also bring in new ones.

So for those thinking of leaving journalism, specifically, I hope the coming weeks and months greet you with a renewed sense of motivation and personal awakening. You do have a broad set of skills that can be applied to a wide variety of careers. I know the pandemic has been rough, but I wish you the best.

Are you considering a career change now, or in 2021?

 

The Importance Diversifying Sources in Journalism

Photo courtesy of Nick Youngson 

Like most of you, I have a lot of thoughts about recent events that have centered on race and equality. I’ve read many stories about how this is changing the face of media, and wondered how it would affect my work.

It’s easy, and I think normal, to feel helpless about battling inequality. Many people protested. But what else can we do? After all, many of us do treat people equally and kindly. Many of us do understand that thinking you’re superior to anyone–especially based on race–is completely wrong.

So how can journalists have a positive impact on racial disparities other than by covering what’s happening in our communities and on a national scale?

One Small Step: Selecting Sources

You may not have much choice in what you cover in terms of topics or events, but you may have some choice when it comes to selecting sources. That said, you may not always have much of a say in the source you use for a story. Your editor may tell you who to interview, or the communications team of a company, organization or institution may pick your source for you. (If you’re a freelancer, you may have a lot more freedom here.)

I cover health news a lot and always have to find sources to give a comment on something. I always try to find the “best possible” person to target as a source…that is, if they have a specific research focus that pertains to the research I’m covering, they’re probably a great source. In those cases, the source is familiar with the intricacies of a topic, can give me an insider’s view on it and I won’t have to explain something much in order to get a rockstar comment. Score.

But other times, I just need a general practitioner to weigh in on something, so I don’t need this super-specific source.

Another writer recently mentioned how she was feeling helpless amidst all the turmoil lately. She said that, as a result, she was going to highlight more voices of color in her reporting. What a simple, beautiful way to have an impact, I thought. I love the idea of diversifying our sources, because we do have a choice in who can highlight. This doesn’t have to be based solely on race, either–maybe it’s just time to mix up your sources! Choose new experts to have on call instead of turning to the same person for a quick comment.

That highlight gives a source a reason to brag on his/her LinkedIn profile. It looks good for his/her company. He/she gets a nice “featured” clip in their media folder. A simple mention could impact that source’s career in a variety of possible ways. I want to spread the power of positive press attention to as many people as possible.

Diversifying Sources

I’m not saying that I’m only going to select Black or Brown sources. But when I have a little more flexibility or a broader need, I’m going to try to diversify who I choose to approach for comment. I will definitely look at all the sources in an article to see if it’s a broad representation of men and women of all races. It’s kind of the same thing you would do when you make sure articles with multiple sources don’t feature people from the same institution or corporation.

I don’t want this practice to negatively affect the editorial integrity of an article…sometimes you have to interview a specific source or sources that may fit one demographic, and that’s okay. I don’t want to solely highlight people of color because they’re “trending” or so I can feel better about myself.

I want my source selections to be authentic. I’ve always aimed to diversify sources when possible; now I’m just a little extra mindful that I should, and that, as journalists, we have the ability to do so.

I think the national unrest gives all of us the opportunity to stand up for equality in our own ways. This is going to be mine.

 

How has race and equality come into play for you as a journalist, specifically when it comes to selecting sources?

 

Hunting for Editor Emails

One of the most frustrating parts of being a freelance journalist aside from the actual writing is finding editors to pitch your work to. I’ve grappled with this for years, and I think I always will. Why? Editors frequently leave their posts. Not every editor informs you they are leaving, or who their replacement will be. You’re often left in the dust. This is kind of how the business rolls.

Of course, there are ways to make it a little easier. You’ll probably have to pay for those resources, but they can be well worth it. I’m a big supporter of Freelance Success. Their newsletter and community are very forthcoming when it comes to sharing contact information. Others, such as

Here’s a new tool I found: Hunter. While it does not spell out which editor to contact, it does let you plug in a URL and see what emails are affiliated with it. Most of the publication websites–especially with print options–didn’t light up, but it was helpful to see what formulas are used. It also gave a few personal emails. Then I plugged them in to see if the person was still working there and pitchable.

It’s not a GREAT tool, but you need all the help you can get to keep tabs on editors–especially if you pitch different publications frequently.

5 Tips for Celebrity Interview Success

I’ll never forget the day I got to interview Patrick Dempsey. I’ve always been a fan, and seeing him soar to fandom thanks to “Grey’s Anatomy” was the icing on the cake. I couldn’t believe I was going to get to speak to him!

I knew I had to curb my inner fangirl. After all, professionalism first.

Since then, I’ve had more opportunities to interview celebs; some I’ve been huge fans of, others I didn’t know of until I got the assignment.

I’m getting better at it, and have put together some wisdom from my experiences.

  1. Ask ahead about what not to ask. Sometimes I am covering one aspect of the celebrity’s life, but the publication I’m writing for wants me to ask about other things. Be sure to ask the PR person about any topics to stay away from–they’re likely to tell you what to avoid off the bat anyway.
  2. It’s okay to mention you’re a fan. But you don’t have to do it directly. If you are a fan, it can be helpful to let the celebrity know you’ve followed their work on a show. I feel this puts them at ease when referencing a character because they already know that you “know” that character. I don’t always mention this in the beginning of the interview, but I don’t think it makes a difference unless you’re on a tight timeline. Be short and sweet if you feel it necessary to mention your devotion, but don’t overdo it. They want to know they’re talking with an objective source, not just another person hanging on their every word.
  3. You’ll probably be on the clock, and overheard. Most celeb interviews I’ve done over the phone have at least one other press person on the line. They’re also extremely brief; as in, the PR person tells me I’ll only have about 10 minutes. In that case, you have to get down to the details ASAP, so don’t waste your time buttering the person up. I think they respect us and our publications more when we’re strictly professional.
  4. You can break the ice, but you don’t have to. Even if you don’t mention you’re a fan, or don’t have that to use to break the ice, there are other ways. But don’t waste half your time trying to warm up; chances are the celebrity has done dozens of interviews just like yours. They’re used to reciting the same answers (especially when talking about some sort of press campaign) so they’ll want to dive right in. On the plus side, when you do that, you may have more time to establish trust and dig deeper. Remember, you’re probably not doing anything investigative here, so you likely can’t go that deep anyway.
  5. Write things down. In addition to recording your interview, be sure to write down your questions. Nothing sucks more than clamming up if you’re nervous in general or anxious to be in the presence of someone you admire. Your questions will remind you to stay professional, and keep you on point.

Once you start nailing celebrity interviews, it does get easier. I’m not at the point where I’m doing sit-down exclusives–I probably still couldn’t, especially with “McDreamy”–but I’m certainly more adjusted to it.

Blurred Lines? Know the Journo Norms

We’ve all been there, scampering for sources. Somehow, they usually fall into place. For me, I always over-source, reaching out to many experts at the same time to ensure I receive comments from more than one.

But what do you do when you have too many sources? Obviously, they don’t all make the cut.

This happened to me recently. I spoke to a few people and wound up not using comments from the final interview. One source had pretty much repeated everything that everyone else said, so I left it at that. I already had plenty of material to work with.

That was fine, until the source’s media team contacted me. They were disappointed that I didn’t use his comments.

Do You Have to Publish Responses from All Your Sources?

I didn’t like the “feel” of being told they were disappointed in me. After all, I was a media reporter—I didn’t work for them.

Sadly, a lot of communications folks who work privately think that reporters do work for them. I don’t mind the occasional “let us know when this posts” message, and I try to send a link whenever I can. But they don’t get to dictate which sources we use and which we don’t.

I was very clear about this in my response. I had to explain Journalism 101 style that I can’t possibly use every source I connect with on a story. I do a lot of my less-pressing interviews via email and often get multiple sources. None have ever seemed to get upset when I didn’t use their comments—we just agreed I’d reach out in the future. (And I usually do because I save all my messages!)

Should You Share Your Work Before It’s Published?

There’s another thing that these media teams, or a source, may ask you to do that’s blurring the line. Many want to see what you’ve written so they can approve it. That happens when they push out their internal content, but it’s not supposed to when working with an outside outlet. Many newspapers and media outlets specifically tell their reporters not to share the work until it’s published. That’s just how it’s done.

If you don’t use all your sources, that’s okay. Of course you appreciate a source’s time, but you don’t owe it to each one to publish everything they said. There are different reasons why sources are omitted or cut out during the editing process. It’s not personal.

And in the same vein, remember that it is okay when you are writing for an outlet—and preferred by most—that you not sure your article, or even pieces of it where the source if featured, until it’s published. I’ve had to explain to many sources that this is the norm in the industry. Some get it, some don’t. I try not to work with those who don’t. Remember, the media relations team at the university from where your source is from, for example, may not have actual reporting experience. They may not “know” how things are done, as wonderful as they may be at getting you sources.

Have a source that wants to know if you’ve represented them accurately? I get it, as some are misquoted. In that case, I’ll read back something to a source to let them check it for accuracy. This is why I do a lot of interviews via email—that way, I get things in writing (though there is room for misinterpretation there too if we aren’t careful).

I hate to see journalists beat themselves up because a PR person expects them to follow the same norms as they do with corporate communications. Many journalists are trying to be the nice guy and “do the right thing,” but our norms are different. People need to understand and accept them. Journalism is not corporate communications—we are not working for a certain institution. We are working for the free press.

If they don’t, well, there are always other sources.

 

What other norms do you see blurred when working with sources or their reps? Tell me about it or ask a question in the comments!

Surviving as a Freelance Journalist

My webinar for NAIWE on surviving as a freelance journalist is today. The PowerPoint is ready, I’m about to get caffeined up, and I’m thinking. What did I miss in my outline? Nothing really.

But it’s more of the intangible things I’m ruminating over. I’m thinking about what survival means.

I think you have to go through times of surviving. For those doing this as a career–and those who need the money–you go through bouts when you’ll write just about anything in order to pay the bills.

Then you go through periods of thriving.

But somehow, when you’re on your own–independent, self-employed, what have you–it always comes back to survival. Even decades in.

Why survival?

Because if you stop working at it, there’s no cushion to save you.

Some people in traditional jobs may not mentally show up every day, but they still go and their job is still there. Their company is still there. There are other companies to go to if one doesn’t work out.

For the journalist, if you stop doing it, there’s no other company to go to if you want to be self-employed…you’re it.

I am nearly 15 years in. Sure, I don’t go through times of no work but I have gone through lean times. When I felt like I was surviving. Or starving like I was 15 years ago. This is okay. (If nothing else, it keeps you on your feet so you know where you want to head next with your business.)

So don’t think that if you’re feeling like you are in “survival” mode that you are a failure…especially if you’re experienced. We all have to keep hustling to stay in business, and self-employed businesses ebb and flow. You’ll start hustling again. And if you are and nothing is happening, it will.

Just by sticking with it, so long as this is what you want to be doing, you’re surviving.

 

Help! My Source Bailed and I’m on Deadline

Pexels:
Christina Morillo

Tick, tick, tick.

Sometimes you can almost hear the clock ticking down until your deadline. As much as we try to work ahead, journalists are often in a pinch.

And it really stinks when a source bails at the last minute.

What can you do when a source backs out and you’re on a deadline? Not all hope is lost. Here are a few tips to help when your article–and your job–are on the line.

  1. Breathe–there are other sources. Unless your source is highly specialized, there are other people with expertise that can comment. It’s just a matter of finding them. And once you get a name, you can use your journo skills to make contact.
  2. Use a trade group or private company. Sometimes, the best place to get a source is from a fellow media team. They understand tight deadlines and can often point you in the right direction. When I write medical news, going through a hospital’s communications staff can be perfect because they pinpoint the person needed and tell me who’s available. Let them do some of the work–that’s what they get paid for.
  3. Explore other articles. One of my favorite ways to find sources is to look in articles that have covered similar topics. There, I can often find people who have commented that have the right credentials. Plus, they typically work well with the media because they’ve done so in the past. From there, you can Google the contact and get in touch.
  4. Google away. Speaking of searching for sources, one of my best tricks is to use a few keywords and add any credentials. If I need to contact a doctor who specializes in diabetes, I’m using phrases such as “diabetes M.D. contact”  or “diabetes M.D. email” and going from there. You could include a certain location or region to narrow things down.  Another tip is to use your keyword and “media contacts” in the search form because there are often tip sheets or organizations that have compiled experts in a specific field. So if I want to find a source that knows about groundwater contamination, I could use “environmental groundwater media” or “groundwater contamination media source” or “groundwater contamination expert.” Play with the keywords. You’ll be surprised at what comes up. And if it goes to a journal or report, such as a PDF, dig in there for applicable names.
  5. Go academic. Colleges and universities are great places for sources and they have highly specialized folks that can deliver a comment in a pinch. Try the school’s media department as well as the individual; if one person is busy, they can likely find another.
  6. Seek a source database. A service like ProfNet or HARO can be a heaven-sent when the clock is ticking. Just look through experts using their search network. Again, these people are familiar with tight deadlines and speaking to the media, which is an added bonus. (The last thing you want on a deadline is to have to explain to someone not familiar with the media about how the media works!)
  7. Think press release. Another place to find awesome sources familiar with a topic and working with the media is via a press release. Use a database such as Businesswire or type in a few keywords and put “press release” in parentheses and your search will bring up sources who have commented in a press release. From there, grab the name of the source OR the public relations person. (I tend to stay away from PR agencies when I’m in a pinch, especially, because they may take longer to find a source or want you to include their product or pitch in the story…not cool when you’re looking for an objective comment.)
  8. Be nice. The source that bailed may be useful in the future, so don’t burn the bridge. In turn, inform the new source that you are on deadline up front so you can determine if he or she can meet your timeline.

What other sources for sources do you like? Leave a note in the comments!

AP Stylebook Changes References to Race, Gender, Ethnicity

There were a few recent changes announced to the Associated Press’ stylebook. Many of the changes focused on race, gender and ethnicities.

The changes were announced at the recent ACES conference.

Here’s a rundown of some of the updates to the AP stylebook:

No more hyphens that denote dual heritage. Instead of hyphenating “African American,” it will now go unhyphenated. Same for “Asian American” or “Italian American,” and the like. (Note: The Chicago Manual of Style hasn’t suggested using the hyphen in recent years, but The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage uses hyphens in most expressions such as “Italian-American” but not in others such as “Jewish American” or French Canadian.”

“Dropping a hyphen does not appear to be a big deal but it reflects a growing acknowledgment among news organizations that racial and ethnic identities are individual, that the individuals have differing views on how to portray themselves, and that news organization should be aware of those desires,” writes Merrill Perlman in Columbia Journalism Review.

Change to Native American references. Formerly, you could use “Indian” to refer to “Native American” or “American Indian.” The update says the term shouldn’t be used as shorthand for “American Indians.”

People of color. You can say “people of color” but not use “POC” as an abbreviation. The 2006 stylebook featured “African-American” as an entry and said the preferred term was “black.” It said to only use “African-American” (yes, now “African American”) in proper names.

Latino/Latina/Latinx references.  The stylebook now calls for “Latino” to be the preferred noun or adjective for people of Spanish heritage. “Latina” is the feminine form of the word, and gender-neutral “Latinx” should be confined to quotations, names of organizations or descriptions of individuals who request it and should be accompanied by a short explanation.

Send me your questions about journalism or writing in general, or hire me. Visit my website or read up on the latest NAIWE news!

Crafting a Knockout Headline

 

Journalists used to be the only ones who had to write headlines. Now business owners are their own bloggers, reporters, and social media managers. Copywriters are crafting webpage headlines, subheadlines and even email subject lines. It seems like everyone who is either a writer or in the business marketing field needs to know how to write a good headline of some sort…even if it’s not a traditional news headline.

I cultivated some experience in headline writing when I was a copy editor for Gannett. I thought I would only be editing stories, but it turns out half my job was creating headlines–and doing it so they’d fit in tight spaces. You learn a lot of really short words when you’re short on space. (Who knew back then that I’d be doing the same thing on Twitter 10 years later, strategizing on which words to cram in a headline advertising articles I’d written for other news publications?)

Looking to pen an attention-getting headline that lures readers in and sums up what an article has to say? Here are a few tips.

Determine what word must go in. In news, it’s imperative to have certain words from your story in the headline. If I am writing an article for a health publication about a new cancer drug, I definitely want to get “cancer” in there, if not “new” and “drug” too. In more evergreen content, I may be able to add more phrases, but I still want to know which words must go in. What individual words do you think have to go in the headline so your reader gets the gist of the article? Do you need action words to make the reader take action, too? Keep this in mind as you identify those “must-add” words.

Know your audience and the medium. Space doesn’t matter as much if you’re on LinkedIn, but it can if you’re working in a print publication or say, for an email newsletter article. Again, if you’re writing for a newspaper, you want to get a few certain key words (not just keywords) in the headline so the reader has an idea of what the story is about. Also, you may want a more lax, attention-grabbing headline if the headline is not for a news outlet and is instead a social media post promoting a headline. In news, it’s more of sticking to a few words that sum up the article instead of getting a reader to click on it, though you likely want them to read on for more information. News readers want to be able to skim a headline and get the gist of the development–they may not read on. On the flip side, in copywriting, a headline can give a summary but also be used to engage the reader to take action or read the entire article. Look at past articles or content to get a feel for the tone.

When I’m writing about that cancer drug in news, my headline may be “New Cancer Drug Extends Life,” while an email or social media headline may be “The Cancer Drug That Could Help You Live Longer.” Big difference!

Add action. Depending on where your headline will appear, it’s important to add action. News readers want to know what the news is, while an email subject line (it kind of counts as a headline) will want to drive the user to open the message and convey what they’ll get if they do.

Think phrasing. I love what this article has to say about the phrases we can choose, as certain ones can be more effective for different mediums. Keep in mind that “will make you” and “this is why” may work awesome in an email subject line–but not so great for a news headline. If you’ve got more room, flexibility or the ability to add in a subhead, that’s where a good phrase can come in handy. Otherwise, I stick to identifying the must-feature words and building a headline around those.

Send me your questions about journalism or writing in general. Visit my website or read up on the latest NAIWE news!

Pitch–Don’t Perfect–Stories

I was reading a post this week in a community forum about an essay writer. She wanted to know how she could find “homes” for her work.

Instantly, I felt strongly that her question revealed the problem. She was writing, storing up essays, without any publication in sight. She was spending her time wrestling over the writing process instead of focusing her time on selling the work.

Her method for selling the work was then to ask other writers to find “homes” for the essays. But her job as a writer–or at least as one who wants to earn money from working–is to do that work too. As you know, a freelance journalist rarely just writes. I can’t tell you how much time I spend searching for markets and connecting with editors. But in doing that work, I know where my work can find a home.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with penning essays and then selling them. Some of our best work can come when we’re not writing an assignment under a deadline. But when you’re looking to make a living out of it, you often have to pitch them first. Or at least know where you eventually want to propose the article. Otherwise, you’re just saying you have a stash of stories waiting to be sold.

So does everyone else. That’s never going to sell your writing, or sell yourself as the writer.

Focus on the Pitch Prior to Writing

This is what I see as one of the top problems that new writers face when they’re trying to break into this field. While I’m an advocate of the “just write” mentality, you’re wasting your business resources–and time–when you write without a focus on selling an article or essay. You’re also wasting your time if you try to perfect your work on your own, because an editor will want to make changes to it after they acquire it.

How do you know a publication will want your article if it’s already written? Maybe the editor wants to give his or her input for a specific angle. If you write it out and spend too much time “perfecting” it, you will be spending more time on it.

In looking at the writer’s guidelines, a publication may want to buy an essay after it’s completed. But don’t assume it. Many outlets want a thoughtful pitch before you begin writing. The editor wants to hear your idea, add something to it to give you direction, and receive a draft that meets his or her requirements.

This is a bit different in the essay-writing field, where a lot of publications want to buy essays on spec. A lot of those markets are low-paying, though.

Here’s my advice in this situation: Have a few publications in mind before you start writing away your best stories and wondering why outlets aren’t lined up to purchase them. If you do draft a piece, don’t worry too much about editing it–just get the idea down. Pitch your essays out so you receive an assignment. Editors rarely ask a writer they’ve never worked with what kinds of essays are sitting on their hard drives.

Your time is precious, and so is your creativity. Nothing kills a creative writer like the person with a trove of stories waiting to “find a home.” Shelter cats find homes. Your work needs to be sold if you’re going to be a reputable working writer.

Find yourself a home with a publication and connect with the editors there. Build up your portfolio. Then, hopefully by the time you have that killer essay idea, you only have to write an elevator pitch about it and you will have that awesome, paying assignment already lined up.

Got questions or just want to connect? Visit my website or read up on the latest NAIWE news!

 

Latest Posts

Considering a Career Change?

December 9, 2020

The Importance Diversifying Sources in Journalism

June 22, 2020

Hunting for Editor Emails

April 28, 2020

5 Tips for Celebrity Interview Success

January 2, 2020

Blurred Lines? Know the Journo Norms

November 15, 2019

Surviving as a Freelance Journalist

August 22, 2019

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