Here at the IIJ, we talk a lot about the importance of building community. As independent journalists, we essentially create our own newsroom with editors who shape our work and colleagues who provide support and advice.
The IIJ’s Advisory Board helps us fulfill our mission to help independent journalists—especially those of color—build financially and emotionally sustainable careers.
Meet our four amazing advisory board members!
Benét J. Wilson: The owner and editor-in-chief of Aviation Queen LLC, “Aunt Benét” spent many years writing about aviation for trade publications. She also served as senior editor and writer for the Points Guy and directed the Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism fellowship for early-career journalists. This year, she began a new role as director of training for Investigative Reporters and Editors.
Deborah D. Douglas: Deborah is a longtime professor and director of the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub, a collaboration between Northwestern University and the Solutions Journalism Network. Before that, she was editor-in-chief of the Empancipator, and founding managing editor of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. She also served as senior leader of the OpEd Project, which amplifies underrepresented voices.
Doug Mitchell: Doug is the founder and director of Next Gen Journalism, a locally-funded, 5.5-day “sprint” that pairs rising journalists and storytellers with mentors, giving newcomers the opportunity to enhance their understanding of multimedia journalism and digital reporting in a highly supportive environment. Since 2013, Next Gen has produced 93 projects and a large community that includes 526 alumni, 80% of whom identify as women, and roughly 60% are people of color. Doug is also the board president of the Center of Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University and is on the board of community radio and NPR affiliate station KALW in San Francisco.
Paul Cheung: Paul has helped multiple newsrooms and organizations adapt to new technology. He started as graphics editor at the Wall Street Journal and deputy multimedia editor at the Miami Herald before moving on to the Associated Press and NBC News. More recently, he was CEO of the Center for Public Integrity. He’s now president of Committee of 100, promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in American society, and the strategic advisor for Hacks/Hackers, which leverages new technology, including AI, to increase public trust in media.
We’re grateful to have this team behind us!
~ Sara
🚨 Only a few spots left in the Business of Freelancing course!
If you’re feeling a bit stuck in your career, there’s no better way to level up your freelance life than the IIJ’s Business of Freelancing course! Over eight weeks, independent journalists and creators Emma Carew Grovum and Nicki Mayo will show you how to build a sustainable, fulfilling business. Learn how to balance passion projects with ones that pay, how to create your own informal advisory board, and how to find the best organizational and time management systems for you. All for just $249 as long as you sign up before March 28. This course always sells out—don’t miss your chance to join!
The IIJ is grateful for support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for this course.
📣 Submit to IIJ’s Pitch Fest at SEJ!
The IIJ is bringing Pitch Fest to the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference on April 18! Conference attendees and local freelancers are invited to submit pitches here by April 6; reported stories only, and those with an environmental angle will give you an advantage. Hear from editors including Bryce Cracknell of the Margin and Jenny Splitter, editor-in-chief of Sentient Media. If you don’t pitch, you will still learn a lot from being in the audience. SEJ conference attendees should sign up in Whova, the conference app; all others register here.
You can hear Jenny talk about how to pitch Sentient Media on the Freelance Journalism Podcast!
📍Join the IIJ at ASJA!
The 2026 American Society of Journalists and Authors virtual conference on April 20-22 is focused on freelancers—so of course the IIJ will be there! On April 22, the IIJ’s Ann Marie Awad and Katherine Reynolds Lewis will present “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work For You” alongside independent journalists (and IIJ members) Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres. IIJ members receive 15% off registration with the code ASJA26GRP.
Pitch Calls and Other Opportunities
🇺🇸 Write local stories on community democracy
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences invites freelancers to pitch stories about communities that embody the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. 💰$1 per word. Learn more here. Send pitches to [email protected]. Deadline: Monday, March 30.
📡 Awards for excellence in science communication
Science journalists can apply for the National Academy of Sciences Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications, which awards writers who produce high-quality, engaging stories that help lay readers understand complex scientific concepts.💰Winners in each subcategory receive $40,000, with $20,000 each for two others awardees. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Friday, April 3.
🌍 Pulitzer Center funding Global South health stories
The Pulitzer Center will fund stories on the impact of U.S. funding cuts on health in the Global South. Priority will be given to stories about children’s and women’s health, HIV and other infectious disease prevention, and efforts to reduce malnutrition and waterborne diseases. 💰$5,000 to $20,000, depending on reporting scope. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis until Monday, March 30.
🔎 Get up to $35k for investigative data stories
The Data Driven Reporting Project, a collaboration between Google News Initiative and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, funds stories that require the acquisition and analysis of large document or datasets. Each cohort is made of independent journalists and small newsrooms who report on local, underrepresented communities. 💰Funding usually falls between $15,000 to $35,000. Learn more here. Deadline: Tuesday, March 31.
🗞️ Pitch media stories to Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute welcomes stories about the journalism industry—everything from hyperlocal news outlets to media literacy and press freedom. 💰$0.50 per word for reported pieces, $0.25 for opinion or analysis. Learn more at their pitch guidelines, and send pitches to [email protected].
⏰ HuffPost Life wants daily, newsy service stories
Lindsay Holmes, HuffPost Life’s deputy director, is looking for freelancers who can turn around quick service journalism pieces about the ways breaking news events can change our lives. Think how to manage rising gas prices, or why Carolyn Bessette Kennedy-inspired hairbands might give you a headache. 💰Rates start at $350. Send ideas and relevant clips to [email protected].
Interesting Reads
📖 Independent journalist Marigo Farr shares her tips for transitioning into journalism after 10 years working in nonprofits for the Society of Environmental Journalists. One piece of advice reiterates last week’s newsletter about networking: “When I meet someone in the industry, whether it’s a professor, an editor, or a newer writer like myself, I log it. I have a spreadsheet where I include name, place of work, email and notes about my interaction with them,” she writes. She even shouts out the IIJ conference.
📖 IIJ conference panelist and award-winning author Vanessa Hua earned a coveted profile in Publisher’s Weekly about her latest novel, “Coyoteland.” Prior to receiving her MFA and focusing on creative writing, Hua developed her writing skills as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, and San Francisco Examiner. “I loved being able to follow my curiosity out into the world,” she said in the piece. In “Coyoteland,” Hua showcases a reporter’s knack for handling timely topics as she explores the tensions between neighbors during the early days of the pandemic as wildfires loomed and protests demanded racial equity.
📖 Anna Medaris of the Association of Health Care Journalists rounds up some of the best organizational apps and strategies that freelancers shared in a recent AHCJ Lunch and Learn. Examples include using Apple’s Reminders app to stick to deadlines and hiring a human virtual assistant to help with invoices and onboarding. However, Medaris notes, these productivity hacks are only helpful if you’re taking care of your health and wellbeing. “It’s about finding systems that work for you and about taking care of your physical and mental health along the way. If you’re burnt out and exhausted, a slick gadget is a drop in the bucket.”
Calendar
🗓️ Tuesday, March 31 - IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis presents at the Online News Association annual conference in Chicago on Tuesday, March 31 from 9-11 am CT in a workshop: Getting Your New Project off the Ground. More info at ONA’s conference website.
🗓️ Thursday, April 2 - The first session of the spring Business of Freelancing course, taught by independent journalists and entrepreneurs Emma Carew Grovum and Nicki Mayo. Register here before March 28 for just $249!
🗓️ Friday, April 17 - The IIJ and the Society of Freelance Journalists are hosting a meetup at this year’s International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy! 🇮🇹 Join us at il Birraio at 3 pm local time for drinks with your fellow freelancers. RSVP here for updates!
🗓️ Saturday, April 18 - The IIJ is hosting a Pitch Fest at the Society of Environmental Journalists 2026 Conference! Join IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad from 3:30-5 p.m. CT to hear fellow journalists pitch stories to an all-star panel of editors including Michael Kodas of Inside Climate News and Peter Prengaman of the Associated Press. Register here to attend and submit pitches here.
🗓️ Wednesday, April 22 - At the American Society of Journalists and Authors’ 2026 online conference, the IIJ is presenting a panel on “Creating Entrepreneurship Systems That Work For You” from 3-3:50 p.m. ET. Hear from IIJ leaders Ann Marie Awad and Katherine Reynolds Lewis as well as independent journalists Clayton Gutzmore and Olga Lucia Torres. Register for the conference here and save 15% with the code ASJA26GRP.
🗓️ June 2-5 - At the Education Writers Association National Seminar, IIJ leaders Benét Wilson, Katherine Reynolds Lewis, and Shernay Williams will be presenting on Friday, June 5 at 10:30-11:30 am ET on entrepreneurship, in Baltimore, MD! Learn more and register here.
