I feel great kinship with journalists because my Dad was deputy editor of the Sunday Mirror back in the 70s and 80s, when the world wide web was not even a twinkle in Tim Berners-Lee’s eye and before Rupert Murdoch changed the face of the industry for ever in the UK.  (In fact, one of my most popular dinner party anecdotes revolves around him working as a sub editor alongside Anne Robinson, but that’s probably a post for another day!)

The cast of Drop the Dead Donkey - how all the best journalists operated back in the day!

Bringing it bang up to date in 2010, the business model for news production is still changing.  More and more permanent jobs are being shed in local and regional media and the industry is creating an ever-expanding pool of freelance journalists.  This is leading to greater pressures on the journalists to find work.  Coupled with the culture of relentless deadlines that exist to feed the public’s appetite for 24-hour news, how do freelance journalists ever find the time to sort out their own finances and organise themselves?

If you’re a journalist freelancing for the first time or a seasoned pro, here’s some tips to help you stay on the road to financial success. Read the rest of this entry…