The Freelance Journalism Podcast

University at Texas professor Anita Varma’s recent book Solidarity in Journalism: How Ethical Reporting Fights for Social Justice creates a framework for journalists to center the humanity and dignity of their reporting subjects and challenge narratives pushed by the powerful. In this conversation with the IIJ’s Erika Hayasaki, Varma discusses how solidarity practices can restore the public’s trus...

The Society of Environmental Journalists invited the IIJ to host a live Pitch Fest at the annual SEJ conference in April 2026, which took place at the University of Illinois-Chicago. IIJ Editorial Director Ann Marie Awad brought a handful of freelance journalists on stage to pitch their stories about AI, brain hacking, rare birds, and more to this all-star panel of environmental editors: Bryce Cra...

We’re sharing a highlight from the 2026 IIJ Freelance Conference: Kavitha Cardoza’s keynote conversation with Katherine Reynolds Lewis! Kavitha received the 2026 American Mosaic Prize, for her independent coverage of children, education, health and poverty. She has reported for the Hechinger Report and NPR, and she’s an assistant professor for journalism at the University of Richmond. You don’t wa...

Documented is a digital publication centering the voices and stories of immigrants in New York City and New Jersey, producing reporting and resource guides in four different languages. Deputy Editor Clarissa A. León helps lead Documented’s small team while also developing relationships with diverse freelancers who can deliver written stories and photojournalism. She spoke with the IIJ’s Erika Haya...

Times are hard for journalists, even though our work has never been more important. That’s why IIJ leaders Shernay Williams and Katherine Reynolds Lewis wanted to take a moment to set you up for success by answering some common questions from our community of independent journalists of color. Listen in for advice on setting rates, finding clients, maintaining your work life balance, and more. Kath...

Robin Kazmier is senior digital editor for Science Friday, overseeing the digital operation for the beloved radio show that’s broadcast to more than 500 public radio stations across the country. An experienced science journalist in her own right, Kazmier shares the secrets to a successful Science Friday story with IIJ leader Erika Hayasaki. Kazmier accepts submissions in English and Spanish, and s...

Founded in 2018, Sentient is America’s only nonprofit newsroom focused solely on factory farms and their effects on climate, environment, public health, labor, and animal welfare. Editor-in-chief Jenny Splitter is an award-winning climate and food journalist and a former freelancer herself. She sat down with Shernay Williams to discuss Sentient’s goal to build the factory farming beat, and shared...

Global nonprofit newsroom Mongabay covers environmental change and its consequences for communities. Editor Latoya Abulu leads the Indigenous news desk, and focuses on how Indigenous communities navigate climate change and other threats. She relies heavily on a robust network of freelancers around the world, and hopes to find more contributors based in Canada and the United States, particularly in...

Dr. Kortni Alston Lemon specializes in happiness. As the founder of the Kortni Alston Lemon Media (KALM) Institute for Workplace Wellbeing, she has made it her mission to improve the mental health of newsrooms, by offering mental health first aid training to journalists and news leaders alike. Dr. Alston Lemon joined IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis to discuss her unique path in journalism, fr...

Tyler Huckabee, managing editor for the religion-focused digital magazine Sojo.net , says a powerful story about religion needs to be specific and spark an emotion. Creative freelancers can find the faith angle almost anywhere – particularly in the current political climate. “Stories of courage are something that are appealing to everybody right now,” he says. He sat down with IIJ founder Katherin...

Betsy Ladyzhets and Miles W. Griffis and the co-founders and lead editors of the Sick Times, a website devoted to chronicling Long COVID from all angles. Based on opposite coasts, Ladyzhets and Griffis founded the Sick Times in 2023 to continue providing critical coverage of the ongoing pandemic after many publications seemed to move on. While the Sick Times is only a couple of years old, they are...

Covering Indigenous communities west requires care and relationship building. Sunnie Clahchischiligi, Indigenous Affairs Editor for High Country News, joins IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis to discuss how to pitch freelance stories to HCN that truly serve those communities. Dr. Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is the Indigenous Affairs Editor at High Country News . Sunnie is an award-winning journali...

Adriana Lacy is a multi-talented journalist and consultant, and founder of Adriana Lacy Consulting , Journalism Mentors , and most recently, Influencer Journalism . In this wide-ranging conversation with IIJ leader Shernay Williams, Lacy lays out how to build a freelance business around content strategy, engagement, and social media – and how she generates enough consulting work for her whole team...

Isabelle Kohn is a senior editor for Slate’s Life section, specializing in stories about sex, gender, relationships, and work. Kohn talked with Erika Hayasaki about how to pitch a story on any of those beats. Kohn shares several examples of successful (and sexy) pitches, along with guidance on how to make yours stand out. Erika Hayaski is a writer focusing on the intersections of identity, race, p...

Don’t pigeonhole yourself. Host Katherine Reynolds Lewis interviews journalism entrepreneur Wudan Yan about developing different “identities” as a freelancer to expand your business, effectively reaching new clients, and the importance of fact checking. Wudan Yan is an award-winning narrative journalist, fact checker, and entrepreneur. She’s been a freelance reporter for 10-plus years, with byline...

Cybersecurity pitches wanted! Alan Henry, managing editor for PCMag, talks with IIJ leader Shernay Williams about the stories he needs from freelancers right now. They also discuss Henry's career journey, and the inspiration behind his 2022 book " Seen, Heard and Paid: New Work Rules for the Marginalized." Shernay Williams is a freelance video journalist based in Baltimore, MD focused on health an...

In his years as a freelance journalist and writer, Gil Asakawa has carved out a few niches for himself, including music journalism, pop culture, and Japanese-American and Asian-American cultures and communities. He's written two books: Being Japanese-American and Tabemoshi! Let's Eat! A Tasty History of Japanese Food. He joins IIJ leader Erika Hayasaki to discuss his career journey and the advice...

Have you ever wanted to start your own newsletter but weren’t sure how? The key is probably the one thing freelance journalists hate the most: self promotion. Host Katherine Reynolds Lewis talks strategy with Lex Roman, an expert on growth marketing. This discussion gets detailed – Lex digs into the numbers, and shares strategies for finding and growing an audience of paid subscribers. Lex Roman i...

It might be a freelancer's worst nightmare: getting sued over your reporting. After Lisa Kwon reported a story for nonprofit newsroom Knock L.A on Airbnb operators, one of them took Kwon to court. In this episode, she shares her side of the story with IIJ founder Katherine Reynolds Lewis, along with important advice for freelance journalists on how to protect yourself Lisa Kwon is a freelance repo...

Want to land your hot take in the New York Times? Opinion Editor Katie Kingsbury and host Katherine Reynolds Lewis discuss how you can pitch The Times your opinion piece. Highlights include: what Katie’s ideal pitch looks like, and what to expect from the editing process. Katie also peels back the curtain on a few of her favorite op-eds, revealing what it takes to get a piece from a pitch to the p...

Versatility is not only a strength, it's an adventure. Just ask self-proclaimed "Swiss Army knife" Fin Leary, program manager at We Need Diverse Books. Fin has built his career freelance writing journalism as well as fiction, and advancing representation for queer and disabled people in both realms. Fin Leary is a Boston-based fiction author, freelance writer and book reviewer who serves as the pr...

Print gigs are elusive these days and the competition is fierce. Journalist and professor Erika Hayasaki interviews Chris Gayomali, freelance journalist and former articles editor for GQ. They discuss how to navigate the choppy waters of today’s print landscape. Highlights include: the pay disparity between print and online work, playing both sides of the editor/contributor relationship, and start...

The Freelance Journalism Podcast: about the art and business of freelance journalism. Hear from assigning editors about what they look for in a story pitch, and listen in to conversations between freelancers about how they are making it work. New episodes every month starting Nov. 26.   The FJP is a production of the Institute for Independent Journalists, an organization devoted to the financial a...