Frequently Asked Questions
We believe that constructing a narrative with pictures to be one of the most powerful forms of journalism. In the modern age – with videos and short format media on the rise it is becoming paramount to hire a photographer.
Our photographers are well versed in so many social media and online formats to help you create the perfect outcome.
For businesses
We provide fresh, engaging, up-to-date and relevant content for your website or print publications.
This will attract and retain website visitors, establish your business as a source of helpful information, develop your brand and improve your SEO ranking.
We can interview people inside your business along with clients or partners to showcase your work and thought leadership, introduce new products and connect your work with an ongoing news agenda.
For editors
We have a wealth of experience writing for many of the world’s leading publications, including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times and Bloomberg. Our writers are adept at turning around stories at speed, we are accurate, skilled writers who can get to the heart of an issue and produce lively, readable, insightful journalism.
We have colleagues around the world who can contribute local knowledge and draw upon their own contact networks to deliver outstanding reportage and feature articles.
Contact us today on +44 7802 834477
The simple answer is: just start writing. You can post article on social media, send ideas to editors, communicate with and meet other journalists through all kinds of platforms – Facebook has many such groups, and we run one of them, called JournoAnswers. This has more than 4,200 members all around the world. We’d recommend a few things to help you get ahead in freelance journalism:
a) Your English (or whatever language you want to work in) should be of a high standard. Take care to spell words correctly and to use good grammar and
punctuation. Editors will notice sloppy or poorly spelled text.
b) Send summaries rather than completed articles to editors. They are very unlikely to
accept full articles – they prefer to specify what they want.
c) Get your contact details and examples of your work online, through listings agencies like www.journalism.co.uk, or social media sites like LinkedIn and X. There are many journalism courses in colleges and universities around the UK (and
internationally).
If you want to work as a full time, permanent journalist for a newspaper or magazine, these are very helpful. Many freelance journalists are also graduates of these courses, but it’s not obligatory. Others have degrees in English, or simply gone straight into journalism from another career.
Contact us today on +44 7802 834477
Freelance journalists typically work in two main ways. They accept commissions from editors of publications and companies (often the communications departments), working to a brief which includes a theme, a word-length and a deadline. Or they pitch article proposals to these same commissioning agents, detailing articles that they would like to write.
Freelance journalists can advise clients on the best approaches to stories: the most relevant angles to take, the best interviewees and the ideal length, for example.
They often work in collaboration with production designers, photographers, editors andpublic relations professionals to produce work that addresses the needs of the publication
or website.
The majority of freelance journalism is paid by the word – or more specifically, per 1,000
words. In some circumstances, pay can be by the hour or by the day, especially on a large project where the journalist has to work in collaboration with a team, over a longer period.
Freelance journalists are generally self-employed, although some form limited companies or partnerships. They are responsible for their own tax affairs and invoice for payment on delivery of their work. They always appreciate prompt payment.
Contact us today on +44 7802 834477
The content creation landscape has changed dramatically with the arrival of AI generated content
from providers such as Chat GPT and Bing. Suddenly those daunting writing tasks are suddenly much
more manageable thanks to a chatbot capable of generating thousands of words on any subject
imaginable. So what role do freelance journalists and content creators now have in the world of AI?
Are they are threatened species or can the two happily coexist?
Thankfully for us writers out there, the answer is very much the latter as while the chatbots are
impressive in what they can achieve, they still have considerable limitations. Here’s a short summary
of the main challenges that Chat GPT and its competitors are yet to overcome:
1. Creativity and Originality:
Chatbots generate content based on patterns learned from a diverse range of sources during
training. While they can be creative and generate unique text, the bots lack true understanding and
personal experiences, limiting their ability to create content with any originality.
In contrast, a human writer has no limit to the personal experiences they can draw upon nor on the
breadth of research they can delve into or the number of people they can speak to in order to create
a truly unique, well-crafted and original piece of work. While on first glance, a text generated by
Chat GPT may look passable, a closer inspection will show the repeated phrases or constructions it
has relied upon that quickly make the flow very repetitive and unhuman-like.
2. Contextual Understanding
Context is key! Chatbots are only as good as the data and research they have access to and can only
parrot back what they find. They are unable to provide any wider context to say if this is significant
or how it compares with what has happened previously. A chatbot works in black and white while an
experienced writer or journalist happily operates within that grey area, carefully interpreting the
nuances that any subject or research inevitably throws up.
3. Emotion and Empathy:
The human depth of emotions and understanding of empathy are in marked contrast to the
mechanical responses generated by a robot. Whereas a writer will be able to imbue their text with
the right descriptors in the perfect place to bring an emotion and warmth to a piece, a chatbot is
coldly responding to the task asked of it.
Similarly, that human quality of empathising with a subject is sorely lacking in a chatbot, limiting
their suitability for any non-factual writing.
4. Learning and Adaptation:
The chatbots are only as good as what they’ve been taught. While the same is arguably true of
humans, we can be much more responsive and adapt to the task in hand, filling in those areas where
we may initially lack an understanding. Chatbots on the other hand will remain at that fixed point in
time until they are given their next round of training and updates.
5. Subject Matter Expertise
Of all the five areas listed, subject matter expertise is probably where the biggest chasm exists. The
depth of knowledge offered by an experienced writer on an area they have covered for their
working lives is simply irreplaceable. A chatbot may be able to throw up a few thousand words on
the most niche of subjects but it simply won’t compare with what writer who has honed their craft
can offer. Ultimately, that is what you’re paying for. Words matter and while the temptation to use
Chat GPT is obvious, it is one that should be avoided if you truly want to create impactful content
that appeals to your audience.
In summary, Chat GPT and Bing certainly have their uses, perhaps as the first port of call to generate
some initial text on a subject or where there is a repetitive task with lots of specific data the AI bot
can learn from, an annual report for example. However, for anyone looking to create unique content
that stands out from a crowd and draws in readers, then the experience and craft of an experience
writer or journalist is still king.
