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Journalism & Media vocabulary · The Press and the Media Industry

Freelancer

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

/ˈfriːlɑːnsə/nounCommon term

In journalism & media, freelancer means: A journalist, photographer or editor who is not employed by one organisation but sells their work to different outlets, usually piece by piece.

In Turkish: serbest gazeteci, serbest çalışan, freelance gazeteci

How it is used

Freelancers pitch stories to editors, get commissioned, and are paid per word, per piece or per day. The adjective and adverb is freelance: a freelance reporter, she works freelance. Staff journalists are the opposite.

Example sentences

  1. The photos were taken by a freelancer who was already in the area.

  2. As a freelance journalist, I pitch about ten stories a month to different editors.

Common collocations

  • freelance journalist
  • work freelance
  • commission a freelancer
  • freelance rate
  • journalistA person whose job is to gather, write, edit or present news and information for newspapers, websites, radio, television or other media.
  • bylineThe line at the top or bottom of an article that gives the name of the journalist who wrote it, sometimes with their job title or location.
  • press passAn official card or badge that shows someone is a working journalist and allows them into events, courts or areas closed to the public.
  • media outletAny organisation or channel that publishes or broadcasts news and information, such as a newspaper, TV channel, radio station, magazine or news website.

More terms: The Press and the Media Industry

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