You can still view all the practical advice on how to freelance abroad from our international freelancing webinar. So whether you’ve been wanting to try your hand at pitching a U.S.-based publication from afar or you just moved to a new country and want to start reporting, this replay is full of helpful tips and conversation.

The webinar covered topics such as positioning oneself to successfully connect with editors abroad and leveraging international backgrounds to shape ideas and reporting. The discussion also touched upon the influence of global perspectives on writers' pitches, the essential role of fellowships and grants in realizing freelance ambitions, and important considerations before moving abroad.

To watch the full recording, go to our YouTube.

Here are some of the fellowships and opportunities our panelists shared:

Panelists included:

Damaso Reyes, Investigative Editor at NY Amsterdam News: Reyes has been a journalist and contributor to the Amsterdam News since 1996. He has been published by: The Associated Press, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, to name a few. Previous assignments and projects have taken him to countries including Rwanda, Iraq, Indonesia, Tanzania and throughout the United States and Europe.

Josh Rivera, Travel Editor at USA Today: Rivera is the consumer Travel Editor for USA TODAY. He was previously the Audience and Community Editor at The Wall Street Journal and Opinion Editor at USA TODAY. He grew up in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.

Imani Bashir, freelance travel writer: Bashir has cultivated a body of editorial work centered around the intersectionality of being Black, Muslim, a woman, and an expat. She has been featured in publications worldwide, including The New York Times, Glamour, Cosmo, Business Insider, The Washington Post, Metro UK, airline magazines, and many others.

Itika Sharma Punit, Deputy Editor at Rest of World: Punit is a Deputy Editor for Rest of World. She previously oversaw the publication's South Asia coverage. If you want to pitch the tech business publication, look over its pitch guide.

Moderated by freelance journalist Michelle No: No is a journalist and copywriter living in Berlin. She formerly worked as a staff writer for BuzzFeed and Thrillist, and has freelanced for publications including the New York Times, NBC, Apartment Therapy, Serious Eats, and many more.

Fellowships and Other Opportunities

The Data Institute Workshop

If you’re interested in learning how to incorporate more data and code into your journalistic work, apply to The Data Institute’s free, intensive workshop that teaches journalists how to use data, design, and code.

It is in-person July 10-21 on Howard University’s campus in Washington D.C.

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is May 24, 2023.

Grist and the Center for Rural Strategies Reporting Grant

To win funding for a story that focuses on and serves rural communities in the United States, apply to Grist and the Center for Rural Strategies’ reporting grant.

Applicants can request up to $5,000 per project for freelancers and up to $10,000 per project for newsrooms.

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is June 1, 2023.

NOVA Institute’s Media Fellowship

If you’re interested in carving out a beat in the health field, apply to the NOVA Media Fellowship. Fellows will complete media projects that explore health and well-being, health inequities, preventing disease, healing, and more.

This is a one-year position with an award of $105,000.

For more information or to apply, visit their site.

The deadline to apply is July 5, 2023.

Interesting Reads

• Read Joseph Lee, Jessie Blaeser, and Chad Small’s “Extreme heat will take an unequal toll on tribal jails” for Grist. In it, they break down climate change’s disproportionate effects on Indigenous detainees and how a lack in funding and rising temperatures led to this toll.

• Read Mike De Socio’s “How LGBTQ+ journalists can survive this moment in American politics” for Poynter. In it, he talks to U.S.-based LGBTQ+ journalists about how they’re doing their jobs amid the slew of anti-LGBTQ+ bills sprouting up around the nation.

• We're always eager to connect with freelance journalists of color who'd like to be involved in the work of the IIJ or contribute to future programs. Email [email protected] to volunteer — or if you have an idea for a partner, funder or topic we should explore.

Calendar

• June 15 IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Erika Hayasaki will speak on our responsibilities as journalists and the power we wield at ASJA on Thursday June 15, at 4 p.m. ET.

• July 12-15 in Miami at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention, IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Valeria Fernández will present a session on financially and emotionally sustainable freelancing, along with conference speaker and expert negotiator Mónica Ortiz Uribe.

• July 19-22 in Washington D.C. at the Asian American Journalists Association convention, IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Jamila Bey will present an all-day workshop on the business of freelancing, including a panel discussion with assigning editors, on Thursday, July 20. Registration is free with your AAJA convention badge or $49 to $99 for others, depending on when you register. We'll be partnering with the AAJA freelance affinity group on a convention session and happy hour, too!

• Aug. 2-6 in Birmingham, Ala., IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Jamila Bey hope to speak at the National Association of Black Journalists' convention.

• Aug. 23-26 in Philadelphia at the Online News Association, IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis will attend as part of the ONA Women's Leadership Accelerator.

• Sep. 7-10 in Philadelphia at NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists convention, IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Jamila Bey will present a session on the business of freelancing.