My First Steps ...

This week I took my first steps toward becoming a freelancer by joining AIR, The Association of Independents in Radio. AIR is basically a cooperative for freelance radio producers. Currently they have about 550 members, which they provide with resources such as a listserv for networking, a database of fellowships and grants, and a pitch page, which lists all the major contacts at outlets for freelance radio stories. with the recent layoffs at NPR and nowhere for recent graduates pursuing a career in public radio to go -- my guess is their membership will be growing. 

Now I'm thinking about what's next. I'm looking into grants and fellowships to support my reporting after I graduate. One place I will be applying for funding is The Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting. They provide travel grants to freelance journalists pursuing 'under covered' international stories, that traditional news organizations are increasingly less likely to undertake. I'm sure they're getting a lot more knocks on their door these days as well.

My main concern in becoming a freelance reporter is finding a balance between keeping myself financed and actually taking the time to do quality reporting. Basically I will have to run my own business, which means lots of little administrative tasks and constant application for grants and fellowships. It will mean lots of multitasking and adaptability. The thought of becoming a full-time freelance reporter seems daunting, but it also seems like an adventure. 

During our last COMM 599 class we chatted with Seymour Hersh and David Obst. Hearing from these two about their adventures in journalism made me feel exited about striking out on my own and doing things in a non-traditional way. David's story about rushing to make the application deadline for the Pulitzer made an impression on me. No matter how much I try to plan ahead it seems I'm always running against the clock. And somehow I feel like I must not be doing something right if I'm working up to the last minute. It's nice to know that Pulitzer prize winners so the same thing! But maybe it's the clock that pushes us. Maybe we need that 'tick-tock' to guide us to the next stage -- to divide up a daunting task into small steps.