The international pages in newspapers and online aren’t what they used to be. The dream job of many aspiring journalists – the roving foreign correspondent, sending the editor the bill for every moment spent searching for stories in exotic locales – is rare.
Credit: Pedro Ribeiro Simoes
But for foreign journalists, a shift by U.S. news agencies away from foreign coverage could open doors. With bureaus shuttered, news organizations are craving fresh stories from around the world. Young journalists who were raised in regions where news organizations once sent U.S. journalists can cover the news in ways that’s never been done.
“Local journalists understand local issues that foreign journalists often miss,” says Eric Loo, a Malaysian journalist who teaches journalism in Australia.
Foreign journalists who look at local issues from the outside often have a fresh perspective and can see news that locals gloss over, Loo says, but there are still many stories that go untold. Local people who have journalism training can tell stories on their own terms.
But beware, he says. Local journalists writing for foreign (including U.S.) publications should work overtime to make sure the news they cover is of interest to readers around the world.
Tips for getting started in the freelance world:
- Review stories from your region that appear in major news publications. Take note of the types of stories each publication prefers. Before you pitch a story, make sure it’s the type of story that publication is likely to want. Remember: Stories for foreign news agencies MUST appeal to foreign readers.
- Pitch stories that haven’t already been written. Find something new.
- Contact reporters for global news agencies who cover your area. To get started, browse the Web sites of those agencies and find the bylines for stories from your region. Ask if you can stop by his or her office for a short conversation about how he or she ended up in journalism.
- Search the Web for freelance journalists based in your area. Ask to meet them for coffee or tea. Find out how they navigate the freelance system. Most freelance journalists are helpful. Take advantage of this help, and, once you’re established, be willing to help others.
- Be willing to sell your story to publications other than The New York Times and other major news agencies. Most freelancers write dozens of stories for small and medium-sized publications for every one story they write for a major publication. (A few places to start: World Vision Report, E – The Environmental Magazine, One Planet magazine, TUNZA magazine)
- Carefully read the Writer’s Guidelines for each publication (if they are listed) before pitching a story.
- Sign up for email bulletins from IJNET, a journalism training organization. Find out if IJNET has a professional journalist working on a training project in your area.
- Be prepared for silence and rejection. Don’t take it personally if a news organization rejects your story with a form email, or never responds at all. Review or rewrite your pitch, try again in a few weeks or months, and try other publications, too. Editors are busy people. Be willing to follow up once, twice or more.
