Online Journalism News

Freelance Frontline: News and updates from freelancers in the field

Freelance journalists represent an international and diverse community -  a quick look at Journalism.co.uk's map of freelancers and freelance photographers will show you that.

Each fortnight we feature individual freelancers from our directory to find out more about their career, but now we're starting a new feature looking at what freelance journalists are working on right now.

Below is the first piece in what we hope will become a regular series - to get in touch email us or send us your news via Twitter to @journalismnews.

Stephen Maughan
Recent magazine journalism graduate Maughan has secured a regular column in Book Dealer, following a feature he wrote for the trade title whilst a student.

Having now built his own website, he's busy pitching features including a recent piece for Church Times, looking at the life and death decision a group of young missionaries had during a fact finding trip to Ethiopia.

Along with book and music reviewing, Maughan has also been freelancing for a Romanian magazine and websites in the US and UK.

"I'm quite pleased with how the first year is going, considering these are the first few months I have being a practising freelance journalist, and the recession is having a big impact," he tells Journalism.co.uk.

"Like any 'business' it's hard to begin with, especially during these first few months, but I'm slowly building up contacts and am attending an free course at Business Link to help promote and develop my skills."

Mark Joyella
US freelancer Joyella is getting stuck into his new role a 'community supported journalist' for the Coaching Commons, an online community and website for professional coaches.

In his role, Joyella writes and reports for the site, as well as handling its multimedia and social media features.

"My original reporting in various media is supported by a philanthropist and overseen by a professor of journalism [Leonard Witt] at Kennesaw State College in Georgia. He is exploring various models for journalism and believes in a community approach:  that small geographic areas without their own media, or people who share an interest (like coaches) would pay to 'hire' a reporter to cover the news they want covered," explains Joyella.

Joyella, who also blogs about the local news media industry, recently produced this piece for the site on the rise and fall of a leading Chinese coaching company.

"It was one of those stories that gets more interesting with every interview, and a rare subject that returned next to nothing on the internet, no news stories, no mentions, nothing," he explains.

Vik Iyer
Freelance web producer Iyer has recently launched a new blog, 'NewsBrain (Dispatches from the Truth Factory)', which he hopes will offer 'engaging cultural analysis with some philosophy and humour thrown in for good measure'.

Iyer, who is also a writer and novelist, is also getting involved with teaching journalism, having freelanced in his career for Channel 4, BBC, the Times, Sky and the Press Association.

Related reading on Journalism.co.uk: 'Freelance Focus: Debate and discussion at London's new magazine club'

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freelance | stephen maughan | mark joyella | vik iyer | freelance frontline |

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Got a story? Email our news team: Laura Oliver; Judith Townend or telephone +44 (0)1273 384290. You can also follow us on Twitter: @journalismnews / @LauraOliver / @JTownend.