Comments on: Don’t Call Yourself a Freelancer

By: Pat

Pat — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:02:42 +0000

I myself am careful when I describe my writing career. Saying “freelance” to someone who isn’t looking for a freelance writer labeling myself as a “freelancer” won’t sound very professional. Let’s face it, it doesn’t take a great writer to become a freelancer. As someone said above, “Writer” is usually good enough to describe our line of work, “writer” carries with it an air of professionalism, especially if we can give ourselves a specialty.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:44:27 +0000

@Steve: Kudos for describing a true professional writer. Only in the often bizarro world of “freelance writing” do we hear suggestions people write on subjects of interest. You don’t see that philosophy espoused in any other profession. I’d hate to need an operation and feel that I must befriend the surgeon, or an architect only design for his friends. Just as professional writers must produce day-in and day-out rather than simply when the ‘muse’ strikes them, actual writers (as opposed to boutique or hobby versions) don’t just write about subjects they enjoy.

@Jennifer: I appreciate someone else knowing that journalism is a trade, not profession or art. The profusion of j-schools promoted the mistaken idea that journalism had not connection with its roots: printing. As an old-timer who actually worked on linos and learned to typeset before the computer age, I’ve always felt journalism was just reporting with a suit and tie.

By: Jennifer L

Jennifer L — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:05:37 +0000

@Steve: I know what you mean. I resisted calling myself a writer for a long time…and still kind of do! Especially since I am a journalist by background; it’s a trade, not an art, we always told ourselves.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:31:41 +0000

it becomes complicated no matter how you slice it. I’m NOT a journalist (no background or training) but I DO write articles for print and web. I’m NOT a copywriter, but I DO write all kinds of copy.

I’m a children’s writer.
I’m a science writer.
I’m a blogger.
I’m a health writer.
I’m a grant writer.

I actually give myself different titles depending upon the prospective client!

Lisa
http://www.lisarudy.com

By: Jenny B

Jenny B — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:56:59 +0000

I tend to say that I’m a writer or a freelance writer because the word “freelance” on its own could apply to any type of job that people have based from home. Then I let them know what I write.

Great topic James.

By: Steve Brawner

Steve Brawner — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:00:48 +0000

I call myself a freelance writer and publisher. I don’t like “writer” because it’s just too artsy-fartsy for me. Hemingway was a writer. Dickens was a writer. I put words on paper for money – sometimes regarding subjects I care about, sometimes regarding subjects I care nothing about.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:41:37 +0000

Phil,
I totally agree. I have the same respect for self-described online “journalists” as Copote had for hack novelists: “that’s not writing, that’s typing.” You’ll notice some of the most-respected bloggers either commenting or reporting online have one common quality: they are trained journalists. This ‘citizen journalism’ talk is wonderful for Twitter and others needing plenty of cheap content, but it does a disservice to readers seeking credible information and journalists who have sweated blood to earn that title.

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:26:08 +0000

Ed,

City News was certainly THE training ground for reporters. I was never there, though I worked alongside some of their “grads” in different spots, it was like basic training is to the military.

Though there is some good journalism online and in print, there are also a bunch of uninformed nitwits (being nice) who espouse plenty of garbage — look at the swine flu scare (more people die from the regular flu each year). Many of the so-called journalists of today don’t check sources.

Basic journalism rule: “If your mother says she loves you, confirm that with at least one other source.”

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:29:51 +0000

@Shannon: Yes, “journalist” for some people carries with it swash-bucking images of foreign correspondent in a battered London Fog. The reality, however, is much more mundane. While I don’t ascribe to the ‘everyone’s a journalist’ view that enraptures much of the online social media, the title simply connotes you are trained and follow certain guidelines. Today, you can find great journalism being done online, as well as off-line. In fact, as more and more print shops close or become pure Internet operations, the bylines of many of the best journalists are only online.

@Jennifer: For pure news-gathering, I’d put a reporter with Chicago’s old City News Service up against the best the NYT or WSJ journalist.

By: Jennifer L

Jennifer L — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:26:28 +0000

@James: I put in a few loooooong years, slogging away at a newspaper, covering city council meetings, planning commission meetings, school board meetings, elections, graduations and oh God, I can’t even remember all what else, so my gut reaction is actually still to use the term “reporter”! I’ll probably just stick with writer, and then I can elaborate if anyone cares enough to ask for more details…