Juggling Journalism and Commercialism
COVID-19 and its consequences have led to a lot more journalists taking on more expensive “sellout” or corporate gigs to supplement their income and make enough money to survive in the current climate. For some journalists, this must feel like sacrilege, as corporate jobs operate on almost exact opposite terms from investigative freelance work like journalism. But necessity rules, and the good news is, there is a way to balance doing both.
WHAT DOES CORPORATE WORK LOOK LIKE FOR JOURNALISTS?
This question is the starting point for how we define corporate work. In this piece, corporate work does not refer to the 9-5 job one obtains working for any corporation, but rather, the application of a journalist’s skills to a corporation’s needs. For example, a video journalist could be hired by a company to make its training videos, or a writer may be paid to write some of the company’s internal documents. This ranges all the way up to working for networks like PBS and filming Broadway shows.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORPORATE WORK AND REGULAR JOURNALISM?
Corporate spaces place higher expectations on deliverables and the quality of them. If you’re shooting a training video for a company or a pitch video for investors, things like picture, sound quality, editing, have to be FLAWLESS. But, that same journalist when putting out their video journalism will most likely focus on story points, asking questions, and telling the truth. Also, corporate spaces will require you to receive a lot of input from others, such as investors, shareholders, other members of the company, etc. whereas solo journalism will likely go through a lot fewer people.
WHERE DO YOU FIND PLACES TO WORK?
Registering on digital platforms that support freelancers will get your name out there, and begin the process of demystifying appropriate jobs. Registering with the correct skill set and embellishing the skills you are already good at will likely lead a lot more jobs (and clients) coming your way. After taking some work and building a resume, you will likely begin to develop a sense of the kind of work you are willing to do and the kind you are not, and you can adjust your long term work goals to fit with that profile.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ONCE YOU START TAKING GIGS?
First off, set your rates and boundaries around your work. Your time is worth a certain amount of money, and your scope of responsibility around the work must be clearly defined for both you and the person you are in direct communication with so that no expectations are not met. If the client keeps pushing you to do more work after your initial piece, assess whether or not your time is being paid for sufficiently and whether or not that usually falls within the scope of your responsibility. Having a client confirm these things (your rate and responsibilities) in writing will avoid any tricky conversations.
Journalists most certainly have an important role in society, and one day, society will value them enough to pay them a living wage for it. But until that day comes, using your other skills to pursue extra money carries no shame, as long as you go in knowing exactly why you’re there and exactly what you’re there to do. Make that extra money!
