Freelance journalism during COVID-19
On March 15, Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order closing restaurants' and bars' dining rooms. By that point, government meetings and events were already getting cancelled left and right. When I talked to my mom on the phone, I said that i was worried about my assignments.
"But this is a great time for news," she replied. "I can tell you - there's no greater demand for news. Things are happening so fast, and people want to be in the loop."
But, of course, I knew it wasn't that easy - though, even then, I couldn't quite imagine just how quickly things would get worse.
Thing is, my mom was right in that there were stories. Stories that needed to be covered urgently, because, as I've written before, the situation changes so fast that something that seems certain one moment quickly becomes obsolete the next day. And it's not as if there's a shortage of angles one can take with this.
There problem is that someone has to pay for it. And, when you close businesses and restaurants, when events get cancelled, when government meetings get postponed and court proceedings get halted, ad revenue craters. And what I have been pointing out for years remains true now - the amount of money coming from digital revenue ins't enough to make up for shortfalls from print. And when digital advertising is pulling back...
Chicago Reader, as an advertising-dependent free weekly, sounded the alarm first. I follow a few of their staffers, as well as the main account, and they were candid about the fact that they lost 90% of their ads. And they were hardly alone - other alt-weekly newspapers were grappling with the same issues.
Austin Weekly News is in a similar boat - it's ad-driven. Wednesday Journal, the company's flagship paper, sells for $1 a copy, and it offers subscriptions - but ads still account for a chunk of its revenue, and being paid won't do you any good if people won't go out and buy it.
I suspect Cook County Chronicle, which I still do some work for, is in the same boat. Ditto Gazette Chicago. Journal & Topics newspapers are in the same boat as Wednesday journal, insofar as all of their newspapers are paid, and they rely on sales, subscriptions and ads to stay afloat.
Block Club Chicago thing is still shaky at best, and since they pay on publication... There's an article I submitted for them back on March 12 that is probably going to get back-burnered for God knows how long, since COVID-19 coverage naturally takes priority over everything. And I've never been entirely clear on what their revenue is outside donations and fundraising.
I had assurances from Streetsblog Chicago that, thanks to a successful fundraiser last year, they have money to pay the freelancers until the end of the year. But they have budgets, too, and there's only so much work I can do for them.
Earlier today, my editor at Austin Weekly News confirmed what I suspected. The company was bleeding funds. People have been laid off. Because of that, even he isn't sure what's going on with payroll. And he said that he has no idea what's happening with the freelance budget.
There is clearly interest in news. I just need to find someone to pay me to cover it. On consistent basis.
(Incidentally, if you want to help a journalist out - don't forget there's a donation button in the top-right side of this blog. I get that everybody's finances are tight, and I know that some people reading this already donated all the money they could spare to some worthy charities/causes. But if you do have some money to spare - the option is there.)
"But this is a great time for news," she replied. "I can tell you - there's no greater demand for news. Things are happening so fast, and people want to be in the loop."
But, of course, I knew it wasn't that easy - though, even then, I couldn't quite imagine just how quickly things would get worse.
Thing is, my mom was right in that there were stories. Stories that needed to be covered urgently, because, as I've written before, the situation changes so fast that something that seems certain one moment quickly becomes obsolete the next day. And it's not as if there's a shortage of angles one can take with this.
There problem is that someone has to pay for it. And, when you close businesses and restaurants, when events get cancelled, when government meetings get postponed and court proceedings get halted, ad revenue craters. And what I have been pointing out for years remains true now - the amount of money coming from digital revenue ins't enough to make up for shortfalls from print. And when digital advertising is pulling back...
Chicago Reader, as an advertising-dependent free weekly, sounded the alarm first. I follow a few of their staffers, as well as the main account, and they were candid about the fact that they lost 90% of their ads. And they were hardly alone - other alt-weekly newspapers were grappling with the same issues.
Austin Weekly News is in a similar boat - it's ad-driven. Wednesday Journal, the company's flagship paper, sells for $1 a copy, and it offers subscriptions - but ads still account for a chunk of its revenue, and being paid won't do you any good if people won't go out and buy it.
I suspect Cook County Chronicle, which I still do some work for, is in the same boat. Ditto Gazette Chicago. Journal & Topics newspapers are in the same boat as Wednesday journal, insofar as all of their newspapers are paid, and they rely on sales, subscriptions and ads to stay afloat.
Block Club Chicago thing is still shaky at best, and since they pay on publication... There's an article I submitted for them back on March 12 that is probably going to get back-burnered for God knows how long, since COVID-19 coverage naturally takes priority over everything. And I've never been entirely clear on what their revenue is outside donations and fundraising.
I had assurances from Streetsblog Chicago that, thanks to a successful fundraiser last year, they have money to pay the freelancers until the end of the year. But they have budgets, too, and there's only so much work I can do for them.
Earlier today, my editor at Austin Weekly News confirmed what I suspected. The company was bleeding funds. People have been laid off. Because of that, even he isn't sure what's going on with payroll. And he said that he has no idea what's happening with the freelance budget.
There is clearly interest in news. I just need to find someone to pay me to cover it. On consistent basis.
(Incidentally, if you want to help a journalist out - don't forget there's a donation button in the top-right side of this blog. I get that everybody's finances are tight, and I know that some people reading this already donated all the money they could spare to some worthy charities/causes. But if you do have some money to spare - the option is there.)