This pride month, I’m holding trans journalists close to my heart.
As trans people face escalating attacks everywhere in the U.S., trans journalists find themselves in the unique and frightening position of covering their own growing marginalization. Independent journalists like Katleyn Burns offer critical insights about the politics of the anti-trans movement. Indie outlets like Assigned Media and TransLash are filling huge gaps in coverage in the midst of a historic rollback of freedoms for LGBTQ+ people.
And they’re doing it with a fraction of the funding and support that mainstream journalists and outlets receive.
In fact, according to the Trans Journalists Association’s Trans News Initiative, overall coverage of trans people has dropped in the last year, even as we’ve seen an increase in state and federal policies that target trans kids and adults alike. What’s worse is that the coverage that’s out there is often subpar. “News about trans people often perpetuates misinformation, when it exists at all,” wrote TJA co-founder Kae Petrin in a piece published last fall.
Your trans colleagues could really use your support right about now, not just during pride month, but all year round. A great place to start is amplifying the work of our friends at TJA, or subscribing to any one of the great journalists or outlets linked above. Give these folks their flowers, because they truly deserve it.
Happy Pride, my friends.
-IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad
⬆️ THIS WEEK: Level up with us at #IRE26
We’re looking forward to taking advantage of all the amazing sessions on offer at the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in D.C. this week! But while you’re making your conference game plan, here’s a hot tip: Our meetup on Thursday, June 18 is a can’t-miss affair for freelancers. This is your chance to meet leaders from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, Type Investigations, and the International Women’s Media Foundation, who are eager to connect with – and fund – journalists working on their next big investigation. One hour with us will take your network to the next level!
📅 THIS WEEK: The Business of Freelancing Workshop
Another item to add to your #IRE26 to-do list: our one-day Business of Freelancing workshop, this Friday, June 19! Spend an afternoon sharpening your small-business skills with sessions on time management, building your client list, and breaking through to assigning editors. After lunch, put those skills to the test with our panel of editors from the Baltimore Banner, National Geographic, and Type Investigations. Leave with a wealth of knowledge and new connections that will fuel your freelancing in the months and years to come! Free to attend for IRE registrants who pre-register in Whova; $99 for D.C.-area journalists.
🤝 Have a snack with us in Minneapolis
The day after our panel at the Asian American Journalists Association conference, we’re co-hosting a freelance meetup with the Association of Independents in Radio, Economic Hardship Reporting Project, the International Women’s Media Foundation, and Next Gen Journalism. Join us for light appetizers, freelance fellowship, and the chance to learn more about how these organizations can support your journalism with grants, assignments, and valuable training.
Pitch Calls and Other Opportunities
🧠 Fellowship for reporters on the brain beat
The Poynter Institute’s fully funded fellowship for brain health reporting offers training on covering neuroscience and emerging research related to the noggin. The yearlong program provides monthly workshops, one-on-one coaching, and travel expenses to attend a three-day convening in St. Petersburg, Florida. 💰$3,000 stipend upon fellowship completion. Learn more and apply here by September 22.
🎶 Narrative grants for women, non-binary journalists
The International Women’s Media Foundation’s Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism awards grants to women and non-binary journalists who “weave the music of everyday life and the passion of extraordinary love into the fabric of stories.” 💰Grants average around $5,000. Learn more and apply here by July 12.
🧑💻 Remote Writing Jobs looking for freelance pitches
Remote Writing Jobs needs pitches for stories on the remote writing lifestyle. From commentary to industry reporting, editor-in-chief Melissa Tripp says she’s looking for pieces between 500 and 1,200 words “but your insight, honesty, and perspective matter far more than a strict word count.” 💰$1/word. See all the details here, and when you’re ready, shoot your pitch to [email protected].
📘 NYPL fellowship for writers, scholars
If you feel a book gestating in your brain, apply for the New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. Fifteen lucky fellows will be invited to post up in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building for nine months to work on a book project. They will receive their own office and computer, as well as full access to the library’s physical and digital collections and resources. This sounds so dreamy. Author Colson Whitehead was a 2007-2008 fellow and had this to say about his experience: “Can I come back???” 💰$90,000 stipend. Learn more and apply here by September 25.
🌊 SE Asia Ocean Reporting Fellowship
Mongabay’s Southeast Asia Ocean Reporting Fellowship offers journalists based in the region training and support to cover pressing ocean issues. Over six months, fellows will learn about the impacts of marine pollution, climate change, fisheries, and conservation on oceans, and will have plentiful opportunities to pitch and report stories on these topics. 💰$500 per month ($3,000 total). Apply here by June 25.
Interesting Reads
📖 It’s becoming a familiar story in media that I never get tired of hearing: a scrappy team of journalists laid off from an outlet form a worker-owned outlet of their own. The latest scrumptious entry in this saga? Ravenous, founded by five writers laid off from Eater earlier this year. Launched in May, the team told Poynter that rather than hoping to go big, they plan to cultivate a small, dedicated audience. Founder-owner Jaya Saxena put it this way: “It’s really just a promise that when you pay us that money, you are actually paying us.”
📖 What a treat: I have an excuse to shout out another amazing organization we partner with in today’s newsletter. Editor & Publisher recently put out this fantastic profile of the Indigenous Journalists Association and all of the incredible work they do to defend press freedoms and nurture the next generation of indigenous journalists across North America. “We are the experts in what we do,” says IJA President Sunnie Clahchischiligi, who is also the Indigenous affairs editor for High Country News. “Our approach to how we bring community in is really just how we approach journalism as Indigenous journalists in general.” Check out our interview with Sunnie.
📖 Anna Medaris has some valuable reality checks for fledgling freelancers in her latest piece for the Association of Health Care Journalists. Sharing some of her own hard-earned lessons, Medaris echoes some of the 3 P’s framework we teach in our Business of Freelancing Course: “Some work pays well, some work comes with prestige, and some work you deeply care about. Make sure each contract you sign answers at least one of those ‘whys.’ ”
Calendar
🗓️ THIS WEEK! 🚨Thursday, June 18 - At the 2026 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference in Washington, D.C., the IIJ is co-hosting a free meetup with the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), and Type Investigations! The IIJ’s Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Kelly Glass, and Emma Carew Grovum will attend, along with IWMF’s Angelica Mayor, Type Investigations editors Maryam Saleh and Nina Zweig, and FIJ Executive Director Eric Ferrero from 5-6 p.m. ET. Register here.
🗓️ THIS WEEK! 🚨Friday, June 19 - IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Emma Carew Grovum, Kelly Glass, and Shernay Williams will present a full-day workshop on the business of freelancing at IRE from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. At the workshop, editors Maryam Saleh from Type Investigations, Mitch Ryals from the Baltimore Banner, and Starlight Williams from National Geographic will share what they look for in a pitch. Free for IRE attendees who register while space is available; D.C.-area reporters not attending IRE can register here for the entire workshop.
🗓️ Wednesday, June 24 - At the Asian American Journalists Association conference in Minneapolis, IIJ leader Katherine Reynolds Lewis and IIJ special projects editor Emma Carew Grovum will present a session on “Mastering the Solo Hustle” at 2:30 p.m. CT!
🗓️ Thursday, June 25 - At AAJA, join the IIJ’s Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Deborah Jian Lee from Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and IWMF’s Divya Tewari for a 5-6 p.m. CT freelance meetup co-hosted with AIR and Next Gen Journalism! Register here.
🗓️ July 22-24 - Join the IIJ at this year’s Indigenous Media Conference in Portland, Oregon! IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis and independent journalist Johnnie Jae will lead a discussion on the reality of freelance journalism today. Plus, we’re hosting a freelancer meetup with AIR, Next Gen Journalism’s Doug Mitchell, and the IWMF’s Tara Gatewood and Rachael Smith. RSVP here for more details!
🗓️ Thursday, July 23 - At the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ annual conference in New Orleans, join the IIJ’s Ann Marie Awad and IWMF leaders Juanita Islas and Tat Bellamy-Walker for a meetup from 4:30-5:30 p.m. CT, co-hosted by AIR and FIJ! Register here for more details.
🗓️ Saturday, July 25 - The IIJ will present a panel on “Mastering the Solo Hustle” at 10:45 a.m. CT at NAHJ in New Orleans. Speakers include IIJ editorial director Ann Marie Awad, Pizza Shark co-founder Carolina Murriel, Altavoz Lab founder Valeria Fernández, and independent journalist Silvia Canelón.
🗓️ Thursday, Aug. 13 - At the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Atlanta, IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams will join Atlanta-based entertainment journalist Tatyana Arrington for a panel called “Where’s the Bag: How to Build Sustainable Income on Your Own” at 1 p.m. ET. We’re also co-hosting a meetup at NABJ with AIR and IWMF. RSVP here for more details.
🗓️ Thursday, Sept. 10 - Join the IIJ at the 2026 convention for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists in San Francisco! Trans Journalists Association co-founder Kae Petrin, COYOTE Media worker-owner Soleil Ho, and an IIJ leader will present a panel on “The Reality of Freelance Journalism Today.” Register here for more details on our freelancer meetup, co-hosted with AIR, IWMF, and the FIJ. IWMF leader Tat Bellamy-Walker will be there, as will IIJ leaders!
