Here’s a riddle for you:
I write for two news organizations. But I’m employed by neither.
I put as much work into most of my stories as a staff writer does. But I only earn enough money to pay my basic bills.
Who am I? Answer: I’m a freelance reporter in a time of economic turmoil.
As a consequence, I had to apply for a commission-based, part-time job in sales and public relations/marketing with an online business directory for a city in South Florida to supplement my income as a freelancer. I got it, although I haven’t actually started my first day of work.
In an ideal world, I would never need to apply for a job outside of journalism.
Since I don’t have a reporting job in South Africa or a pet tiger, however, I can safely state that this is not an ideal world.
Plus, it’s important that I keep my options open to job experience outside of journalism. Even if this is not a stable career, either. Nor is it a career that I see myself doing long term.
I’m sure you’re asking (And I’ve asked myself): How can I call myself a reporter if I take a job that is the antithesis of journalism?
I remain a journalist because I remain committed to the responsibilities and values of a reporter. I’m not significantly lessening my freelance assignments, and I won’t allow this job to change or compromise who I am as a journalist.
I haven’t worked my first full day on the job yet, and I am already having second thoughts about it. But I need to at least give it a chance.
However, if I do stick with the job, I need to balance it and my duties as a journalist.
So here are tips and guidelines I’ve made for myself and others. Some of these I came up with after thinking of my own experiences with journalism and slight experience with PR. Others came to me when I attended LaidOffCamp/FreelanceCamp in Miami.
*Operate outside coverage area or beat when doing PR. Notify editor to make sure there are no conflicts of interest.
- The sales job is far south of the coverage area of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, from which I receive most of my assignments, except for big chains I might need to solicit. My editor said the job is not a conflict, but I’ll make sure to analyze if stories involves any of my clients in sales to avoid conflicts
- Repeated for Forum Publishing Group, which has a coverage area that includes the city this sales job focuses on. My editor said it did not provide a conflict. I decided I’m not going to cover anything in that city if it is centered on businesses. I might not be able to cover the specific city at all.
*Draw a line of demarcation between Journalism and PR/ Sales.
- I need to make sure my employers, clients, readers and sources know that I don’t mix journalism and public relations.
- Clients for the sales job should know me as a representative of the online directory I’m employed with and freelance ad writer, and that I can’t and won’t offer them any services as a journalist or pass off any ads as articles.
- Sources and readers should know me as a professional journalist who reports fairly and accurately. I have to show them that I won’t favor one source over another and that I won’t let my sales job affect my reporting.
*Stay honest. Stay as unbiased as possible.
- This is probably the trickiest tightrope to walk. If you work in journalism and PR/ advertising simultaneously, it’s hard to keep one writing or business style from carrying over into the other.
- I’m going to have to edit myself harder than I have in the past to make sure I’m not embellishing facts, using deceptive language or taking sides in my articles.
- I need to keep a dialogue with the readers to ensure I keep my facts straight and my reporting. Online journalism works best when it allows audiences to keep reporters on the straight and narrow. I’m hoping audiences will point out when I’m wrong or biased. And I hope those discussions take place on this blog, too.
In an ideal world, my feet would never touch this shaky tightrope. But this is reality.
I could learn much about journalism and sales if I balance these jobs properly. All I can do is try my best and hope I can mature as a professional from both jobs.
