The IIJ Freelance Journalism Conference
Conference recordings available now for all 10 panels and keynotes!
Only $89 for 12 hours of learning and connection
Freelancers of all backgrounds welcome!
Recordings available to watch until August 30th, 2024
Thanks to Our Supporters!
Learn from 45+ diverse speakers and teachers.
DO YOU WANT TO
- Hear what top editors want in pitches?
- Learn insider secrets to landing fellowships, diversifying revenue, and creating a portfolio of meaningful work?
- Connect with a community of creators who make a good living while telling stories that have an impact?
View the Institute for Independent Journalists freelance conference!
10 online recordings, delivering 12 hours of learning, for just $89!
Recordings available to watch until August 30th, 2024
Scholarships are available if cost is a barrier to registration. Apply here.
Thank you to the Economic Hardship Reporting Project for supporting our scholarship program! Contact info@TheIIJ.com with any questions.
Schedule
Thursday, March 9 (10 am - 7 pm ET)
10:00 am - 11:15 am ET
Welcome to The IIJ Freelance Conference!
Introductory speaker: John Palfrey, MacArthur Foundation President
Welcome from Katherine Reynolds Lewis, author and founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists
Negotiating with Confidence and Ease
To build a sustainable freelance career, you need rock-solid contracts, good hourly rates, and the confidence to know when to walk away. Learn how to negotiate rates, understand contracts, protect yourself, and make the case for what you need in an assignment, from this panel of experienced independent journalists and a media law attorney. Speakers will share specific tips, negotiation strategies, and language to secure the rate and contract terms you need.
Kay Murray, of counsel, Baron Harris Healy
Aria Velasquez, freelance journalist
Jessica Poitevien, freelancer and instructor for Write Like a Honey Badger
Mónica Ortiz Uribe, freelance reporter
Moderator: Katherine Reynolds Lewis, author and founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists
11:30 am - 12:45 pm ET
Thursday Keynote Address: Stephanie Foo in Conversation with Ly Tran
Stephanie Foo is the author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. She has written for Vox, The New York Times and The Atlantic. She worked as a radio producer for This American Life and Snap Judgment, and her stories aired on Reply All, 99% Invisible, Radiolab. A noted speaker and instructor, she has taught at Columbia University and has spoken at venues from Sundance Film Festival to the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Ly Tran graduated from Columbia University with a degree in creative writing and linguistics. She has received fellowships from MacDowell, Art Omi, Yaddo, and Millay Arts. House of Sticks is her first book.
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm ET
Become an Editor’s Go-To Writer
Learn directly from editors how to report a pitch that will be noticed, accepted, and published, and what to expect during the process. This roundtable of top editors will share what it takes to make them open your email, read your pitch, and say, “yes!” They will also discuss best practices and answer your questions to help you ace the pitch – and land follow-up assignments.
Amber Payne, co-editor-in-chief, The Emancipator
Ashton Lattimore, editor-in-chief, Prism
Kevin Nguyen, features editor, The Verge
Daniel Varghese, Gears and Gadgets editor, The Wall Street Journal
Moderator: Ellen Lee, independent journalist
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm ET
Lunch / yoga / stretch break
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm ET
The Power Story Edit
Journalists invariably wield privilege and power, as we shape a narrative and select scenes, quotes, themes, arguments, and information to include. This panel will tackle the ways we can reframe, report, write, and structure our stories in light of our privilege and the power hierarchies among the people we interview. Panelists at the forefront of these conversations will discuss: How do we re-examine these power dynamics within our own reporting and journalistic practices? How can we think more critically about the people we report on in our stories—from exploitation, to breaking news, to trauma narratives and true crime? How can we as journalists speak truth to power while operating within news organizations that are often set in their ways?
Gabrielle Lawrence, TransLash Media
Sandhya Dirks, national correspondent covering race and identity, NPR
Felecia D. Henderson, Director for Cultural Competency, Maynard Institute
Moderator: Erika Hayasaki, author, Somewhere Sisters
4:15 pm - 5:30 pm ET
Funding Your Work with Fellowships
Freelancing can be a grind, working on one small project at a time and constantly cycling through assignments. Fellowships and grants offer an invaluable opportunity to learn new skills while gaining the time, space and resources to focus on in-depth and meaningful work. Fellowship directors and recipients will share how fellowships work, how to apply and how to stand out when you do!
Dave Umhoefer, director, the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism, Marquette University
Juanita Islas, director of programs, International Women's Media Foundation
Lila Hassan, independent investigative reporter
Moderator: Sylvia A. Harvey, author, The Shadow System
Thank you to the O’Brien program for sponsoring this wonderful session!
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET
Your Network Is Your Net Worth (Not Recorded)
After a full day of learning, the floor is yours! This structured networking session is an opportunity for you to relax, meet your colleagues, and network. Have fun and maybe end the hour with a new friend, or two! Note: This session was not recorded and isn’t included in the recording package.
Jamila Bey, journalist & radio talk show host
Meena Thiruvengadem, independent journalist & audience strategy consultant
Sa'iyda Shabazz, freelance writer and editor
Valeria Fernández, managing editor, palabra.
Friday, March 10 (10 am - 7 pm ET)
10:00 am - 10:15 am ET
Fireside Chat on Freelancing for Non-Profits
Tracie Powell, founder, The Pivot Fund
Katherine Reynolds Lewis, author and founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists
10:15 am - 11:15 am ET
Tap Into Your Talents: Adding New Revenue Streams
Independent journalists generate income from writing books, speaking for pay, teaching, consulting, newsletters, and more. Is one of these paths for you? This business-savvy panel will explain how to get into these fields, what kind of income they can generate, and the realities and myths of each revenue stream, to help you decide what’s right for you.
Sushma Subramanian, author, How to Feel
John Washington, investigative journalist, Arizona Luminaria
Rhana Natour, journalist, producer & host
Sonali Kohli, senior recruiter, URL Media
Moderator: Sa'iyda Shabazz, freelance writer and editor
11:30 am - 12:45 pm ET
Friday Keynote Address: Lynell George in conversation with Adrienne Johnson Martin
Lynell George is an award-winning Los Angeles-based journalist, essayist and author. Her work explores social issues and human behavior, as well as urban histories, visual art, music and literature. A former staff writer for both the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly, her pieces have appeared in Sierra, Alta Journal, New York Times, Preservation, Oxford American, among other publications. Her liner notes for "Otis Redding Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings" won a GRAMMY in 2017. She is the author of No Crystal Stair: African Americans in the City of Angels, After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame. Her most recent book, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler was a 2021 Hugo Award Finalist.
Lynell will be in Conversation with Adrienne Johnson Martin, executive editor of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism.
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm ET
Supercharge Your Pitching Skills
Have you ever wondered how to land an assignment in your dream publication? This session pulls back the curtain, as editors decode the art of pitching. Each speaker will share what they want to see in a pitch, how to get their attention, the key to delivering a winning assignment, and what they’re looking for in a regular contributor. Bring all your burning questions!
Kelly Virella, senior staff editor, The New York Times
Camille Bromley, features editor, Wired
Chris Ip, senior editor, The Atlantic
Justin Madden, The Guardian
Stephanie Griffith, opinion editor, CNN
Moderator: Jamila Bey, journalist and radio talk show host
2:15 pm - 2:45 pm ET
Lunch / yoga / stretch break
2:45 pm - 4:00 pm ET
Speak Up: Adding Podcasting to Your Portfolio
Is this the moment for the world to hear your voice? Panelists will discuss the pros and cons of adding podcasting to your portfolio of work. This session covers how to start a podcast as well as other roles freelancers can play in the reporting, production and launch of a podcast.
Lygia Navarro, narrative journalist
Stephanie Kuo, director of training, PRX
Rekha Murthy, podcast strategist
Moderator: Doug Mitchell, founder and director of Next Generation Radio with NPR
4:15 pm - 5:30 pm ET
Picture Perfect: Succeeding as an Independent Photojournalist
Learn how to build a career as a freelance photojournalist. Hear from thriving photojournalists as they share their stories, strategies, and pitfalls to avoid. The panel will explain the photo assignment process, which publications pay better, and how to scope a photo project.
Zaydee Sanchez, freelance photographer
Adam Perez, independent photographer
Vanessa Charlot, photojournalist, documentary filmmaker and curator, recipient of the IWMF Courage in Journalism award
Moderator: Valeria Fernández, managing editor, palabra.
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm ET
Wrap-Up Networking Session (Not Recorded)
We’ve been together for a while now. Get a snack, a beverage, and kick back. This is the time to continue the conversation and enjoy your colleagues. You can share notes, give advice, or talk about weekend plans in a structured networking session. Note: This session was not recorded and isn’t included in the recording package.
Jamila Bey, journalist and radio talk show host
Jaeah Lee, independent journalist
Sylvia A. Harvey, author, The Shadow System
Register Now for Instant Access to This Bonus Bundle:
A one-year membership to the Institute for Independent Journalists for 2023.
REGISTER NOW
Worksheets for tracking your freelance income and assignments, setting your rate, negotiating with a new client, and more.
Bonus webinar recording on how to pitch, with editors from the Washington Post, Insider, New York Magazine, and more. Convenient access to four webinars on pitching, fellowships, long-form narrative, and productivity.
Thank you to our supporters!
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, decreasing nuclear risk, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., and reducing corruption in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago.
Since 2013, the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism has supported 9-month reporting projects by 30 journalists based in the U.S. Reporters selected for this Milwaukee-based Fellowship at Marquette University get: a $70,000 stipend, student interns as reporting partners, and funds for housing and travel. In service of the Fellowship’s mission to identify problems and potential solutions, O’Brien projects have tackled issues around environmental and racial justice, inequities in education and health care, criminal justice and more. This is your chance to tell a story that can change policy or even change lives. For more information see the O’Brien website and application page, and contact O’Brien Director David Umhoefer via email.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation supports democracy by promoting informed and engaged communities, including projects in the arts and journalism that lead to transformational, sustainable change.
The Fund for Investigative Journalists provides grants and other support to independent journalists and news organizations.
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project supports independent journalists so they can create gripping stories, often countering the typical narratives.