Under capitalist systems where the few exert power over the many, collective action has been the most successful way that workers have achieved fairer wages, paid time off, and other hard-fought labor rights.

As independent journalists, we don’t have the same ability to organize as many of our friends in newsrooms who have formed unions. So, how do we build power collectively? We can start by dispensing with the competitive mindset that dominates much of legacy media and instead embrace the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats. Promote not only your own work on LinkedIn or other social media, but that of your peers. If you have a newsletter, cross-post with a friend or a colleague on their platform to boost both of your audiences. Be open about rates, since only through rate transparency can we call out unfair pay.

Many independent journalists have joined together to share information and build collective power on a larger scale. The Freelance Solidarity Project has published a rate database, as has the Freelancing with Tim newsletter and the Association of Independents in Radio. Then, you have worker-owned newsrooms like Hell Gate NYC, Defector, and Coyote Media that are built by freelance journalists, who are showing that it’s possible to create workplaces that are fairer and more equitable from the start. The Independent Journalism Atlas is also working to map independent creators in order to facilitate collaboration with legacy media.

We at the IIJ are also working to strengthen the power of our collective, which is why we’re holding our first-ever Town Hall tomorrow! Come with your ideas on how to build community and collaboration in the service of a more sustainable life for all of us. Hope to see you there!.

~ Sara

Now in its fourth year, the IIJ is embarking on its next chapter. When we began in 2022, we focused our programming on the two priorities singled out by fellow freelancers: increased access to gatekeepers and training in business and entrepreneurship skills. But the media landscape has shifted dramatically in the last year or so, and we’re hearing from you that we, too, need to adapt.

So, we’re exploring a variety of new initiatives and want your input at our first virtual town hall on Wednesday, May 6 at 12 p.m. ET! Data journalist Silvia Canelón will give a sneak peak of our next research project focused on funding for freelance journalism, and Kelly Glass will preview the IIJ Freelance Marketplace we’re building in Chicago. Plus, you’ll have a chance to share your thoughts on what’s working, what you want to see, and where we should go next!

IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams will present at the session “How to Freelance Like a Pro,” at the EWA National Seminar in Baltimore this June.

Come to the session on Friday, June 5 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET, where you’ll learn how to set your ideal hourly rate, hear strategies for relationship-building and negotiating, and see a demo of the IIJ’s interactive online freelance startup guide!

Katherine and Shernay will also host a freelance meetup during the conference!

If you live in the D.C. area or will be there for the Investigative Reporters and Editors Annual Conference in June, be sure to take advantage of the IIJ’s all-day Freelance Business Workshop on Friday, June 19! Learn everything you need to be a sustainable solopreneur, from how to balance passion projects with ones that pay, time and money management, and networking and negotiating strategies. Plus, editors will share what they look for in a successful pitch. IRE participants can attend the workshop for free by selecting it when they register for the conference. D.C.-area journalists not participating in IRE can attend just the workshop for only $79!

Journalists with up to five years of full-time experience can apply for the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship, which provides mentorship in areas like communication, leadership, and collaboration. 💰$10,000 stipend. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Wednesday, May 13.

Good Tape, a publication devoted to cultural and critical reporting on the podcast industry, seeks pitches for its upcoming issue on Chemistry, which it defines as “the bonds that hold projects together, the experiments that push them forward, and the circumstances that can just as easily pull them apart.” 💰$175 to $1,050 for digital, $250 to $1,500 for print, dependent on word count. Learn more and pitch here. Deadline: Friday, May 15.

Vox Media seeks three yearlong fellows for its Future Perfect vertical, which focuses on the underreported stories that will matter most in the near future — especially stories that make the world better. 💰$74,340. Learn more and apply here. Deadline: Tuesday, May 12.

Dialogue Earth, a multilingual nonprofit environmental publication, is looking for pitches about the steel industry’s attempts to cut carbon emissions. Stories about China, India, Brazil, and South Africa are especially desired. Learn more about this pitch call here, and consult the standard pitch guidelines here. 💰$3,300 for 1,000 to 1,500 words. Send pitches to [email protected]. Deadline: Rolling basis until Monday, May 11.

Features editor Rachel Epstein is looking for long-form reported narratives, profiles, investigations, and tentpole packages for both Men’s Health and Women’s Health. 💰Per the Association of Health Care Journalists Freelance Market Guide, $1 to $2 per word. Send ideas to [email protected].

Nonprofit Quarterly has launched an collaborative initiative called “#WetheCivic: America 250,” which seeks to uplift stories of the multiracial, cross-class movements, organizations, and people who shaped America’s past and will shape its future. Accepted pieces include reported essays and analysis, academic work, visual art, and more. 💰$500. Send pitches to [email protected]. Deadline: On a rolling basis.

📖 I had not followed the kidnapping of journalist Shelly Kittleson in Iraq by members of an Iranian-backed military group. However, I was surprised to learn that she is a freelance journalist. Kittleson’s experience is a powerful reminder both that freelancers operate everywhere in the world and that we should always be clear about the present risks and their capacity to change. “Media organizations — and the Trump administration — must be prepared for the possibility that kidnapping and state hostage-taking will reemerge as a threat to U.S. journalists operating in a region in turmoil,” writes Joel Simon in the Columbia Journalism Review.

📖 It’s a conundrum for early career journalists: Editors always ask for clips in a pitch, but what if you don’t have any yet? Hasmik Kirakosyan offers some solutions in a piece for the Open Notebook on how to land your first assignment. From having a standout, unique idea to showcasing your writing skills in the pitch itself, these tips apply to seasoned writers as well as to those still looking for their first byline. I particularly loved the suggestions to “lean into your curiosity” when looking for story ideas and to “try making your pitch a compelling mini-story of its own.” Check out the Open Notebook’s Pitch Database for successful examples.

📖 We have yet another article about whether journalists can make a sustainable income by going independent — this time, from Poynter’s Nicole Slaughter Graham. Only a few people have succeeded in making it big from their newsletters or publications, including IIJ 2026 conference speaker Marisa Kabas, of the Handbasket, who makes about $300,000 in gross income. Ultimately, though, the advice remains familiar for anyone who regularly reads our newsletter and attends IIJ events: Treat your career like the business it is, diversify your income, and replace the competition mindset with a collaborative one. As Graham writes, Kabas “envisions a future where independent journalists, nonprofit outlets and worker-owned collectives ‘all work in concert in order to replace the old model of corporate-owned journalism.’ ” That’s a model I can get behind.

🗓️ TOMORROW Wednesday, May 6 - Join us at noon ET for the first-ever IIJ Town Hall, a virtual event where members of our community will have the opportunity to hear about the latest industry trends affecting independent journalists of color, and to weigh in on future IIJ programming. RSVP here!

🗓️ May 18-20 - Attending the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit in Philadelphia? So is IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis! Be sure to say hi. 👋

🗓️ Friday, June 5 - At the Education Writers Association National Seminar in Baltimore, IIJ leaders Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams will be presenting from 10:30-11:30 a.m. ET on entrepreneurship! Join us for a freelancer meetup during the seminar. RSVP here for more details.

🗓️ Friday, June 19 - The IIJ will host a full-day workshop on the business of freelancing at the 2026 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference in Washington, D.C.! Join Katherine Reynolds Lewis and Shernay Williams from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. ET to learn sustainable business practices for all aspects of your career: balancing passion projects with profitable ones, negotiating with and recruiting clients, and top-notch organizational and time management systems. Free for IRE attendees who register while space is available; register here to join a group lunch. D.C.-area reporters not attending IRE can register here for the entire workshop, which includes lunch.

🗓️ June 24-26 - IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis will be speaking at the Asian American Journalists Association conference in Minneapolis! The IIJ will also host a freelancer meetup—stay tuned for more details.

🗓️ July 22-24 - Join the IIJ at this year’s Indigenous Media Conference in Portland, Oregon! IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis and independent journalists Taylar Stagner and Johnnie Jae will host a discussion on the reality of freelance journalism today. Learn how independent journalists are building sustainable careers in the face of mass media layoffs. Register here.

🗓️ Saturday, July 25 - The IIJ will present a panel on mastering the solo hustle at this year’s National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference and Expo 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. We will also be hosting a freelance meetup! Stay tuned for details.

🗓️ Aug. 12-17 - The IIJ will be part of the Innovation Bubble at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Atlanta! Keep your eyes on the calendar for updates on who, what, and when.

🗓️ Sept. 10-14 - Join the IIJ at the 35th annual 2026 convention for NLGLA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists in San Francisco! Details to come.

▶️ Podcast: Journalist Kavitha Cardoza on covering education and poverty

▶️ Podcast: How to pitch unique NYC immigration stories to Documented

▶️ Podcast: Freelance journalism FAQ with Katherine Lewis and Shernay Williams

⏪ Webinar: Mobile Reporting: Tools for Making Content on The Go

▶️ Podcast: For $1/word, Science Friday wants enterprise stories that spark curiosity

⏪ Webinar: How to Pitch High Profile, National Media