Best practice guidance for organisations working with freelance journalists

This guidance was developed by Donna Ferguson for Women in Journalism, in conjunction with Emma Wilkinson and Lily Canter for Freelancing for Journalists and Anna Codrea-Rado, the author of the freelancing handbook, You’re The Business.

This guidance aims to break down pay barriers and ensure freelance journalists and publications have a healthy and productive working relationship. Organisations which abide by this guidance are demonstrating their commitment to increase transparency, accountability and accessibility in freelance journalism.

Payments and fees

• Initiate payment when work is filed and always pay in full for work that meets the agreed brief. Payment for an article should be initiated as soon as a piece of work has been filed to the agreed brief. Fees should be paid in full even if publication is delayed or an article spiked.#

• Provide a written contract as standard
  Any freelance commission should include a written contract outlining the freelancer’s rights, what they will be paid and a clear brief, which includes the word count, deadlines and any other assignment details and expectations (such as whether photos need to be sourced or provided). Fees and expenses should be agreed at this point. The contract will also state the company’s policy on late payment fees, expenses and other policies pertinent to the assignment, such as copyright, licensing and insurance.

• Rate and fee transparency
  Organisations should publicly list their minimum or standard writing rates per word for freelance print journalists on their websites and in any freelance job adverts, including on social media.

• Clarity on the detail of how freelancers will be paid for their work
  When an organisation pays per word, for example, the organisation should state whether they will pay freelancers per word commissioned or published, and what they will pay in cases where one is higher than the other.

• Fit-for-purpose payment processes
  Editors should provide upfront details and instructions on the payment process and any forms that need to be completed, when they commission an article. Invoices should be paid within 30 days of receipt and late fees should be honoured in line with the Late Payment Of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act.

• Offer help with late payments
  Organisations should provide a point of contact in their accounts department who is responsible for ensuring that freelancers are paid on time.

• Regular rate review
  Organisations should make a commitment to review freelance rates regularly to determine whether it is possible for the business to increase rates, ideally by at least the rate of inflation.

• Clear policy on expenses and reimbursements
  Organisations should provide clarity on the kinds of expenses freelancers should expect their editor to reimburse them for and guidance on how and when freelancers should approach their editor about expenses.

• Clarity on how additional work outside the original brief will be compensated
  Editors should state, before commissioning the work, how additional work outside the original brief will be compensated, if it is required later.

Pitching and writing

• Publicly available pitching guidelines
  Organisations should provide transparency on their website around who commissions content with regularly updated contact details of commissioning editors published online. This could also include an explanation of the type of content and ideas editors want to see from freelancers, including pitching examples and the best time of day/day of the week to pitch. A statement about whether the publication welcomes pitches from inexperienced writers or how much experience freelancers need to pitch an idea would also be welcome.

• Processes to ensure commissioning editors are aware of these guidelines
  Organisations should commit to train relevant staff on best practice interactions with freelancers and make them aware of these guidelines and the need to set transparent pitching guidelines for their desks.

Rights

• Clear policy on safety and insurance
  Where necessary, freelance journalists should have access to the same risk assessments and insurance as staff journalists, for example if they are travelling or working abroad. This should also happen where there may be a safety concern about the assignment.

• Clear policy on bylines
  Editors should explain whether the freelance journalist will or will not get a byline on the piece at the outset.

• Fair copyright licences
  Copyright licences should follow National Union of Journalist guidelines and ask freelancers to licence their work, rather than seeking to buy ownership of copyright or asking the freelancer to assign all their rights to an organisation. Best practice, as per the NUJ’s recommendation, is for a contributor to keep copyright and licence uses of his or her material.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Women in Journalism is a non-profit organisation that aims to help every woman journalist of every age and ethnicity fulfil their potential and thrive as journalists.

It runs skills workshops to support women with the tools and knowledge needed to maximise their careers, and offers networking and mentoring opportunities. It also amplifies and showcases the work of all kinds of women in journalism and campaigns to remove barriers to women’s career progression.

Donna Ferguson, a multiple award winning freelance journalist who is on the committee of Women in Journalism. Donna is a regular freelance writer for The Guardian and the Observer, writing for a plethora of different sections, including Observer magazine and the newsdesk.

She has won eight awards for her work as a freelance journalist and been shortlisted for 29 others, including most recently freelance journalist of the year 2023 at the inaugural Freelance Journalism awards.

She decided to go freelance ten years ago, after having a baby, and says that getting pregnant was the “best career move she ever made”, thanks to everything she has since achieved as a freelancer. She has never had a staff job on a national and started out with very few contacts, cold pitching all the editors that she now regularly writes for.

Anna Codrea-Rado is a freelance journalist who covers business, culture and technology, with her work appearing in publications including The New York Times, Financial Times and the Guardian. She’s the author of You’re The Business, a handbook for freelancers. Anna has led grassroots campaigns advocating for the fair payment of freelance journalists.

She has given evidence for the government’s Future of UK Journalism report and has supported the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society’s campaign for the UK government to appoint a freelance commissioner.

Freelancing for Journalists is a community for freelance journalists in the UK, and overseas. It aims to support journalists to create and sustain successful freelance careers. It hosts a range of resources including an award-winning podcast series, 8,000-strong Facebook community, weekly newsletter, remote work experience scheme and a series of online training options.