There is a hole in my bank account where £5,000 should be.
That hole represents the £ 5,000 worth of articles I have written as a freelance, but not yet been paid for.
Since many of these articles have not yet been published, I have no idea when I will get paid for them. In one case, I have been waiting since May.
I am not alone. Most, if not all, freelances are in this situation every month, waiting for articles that are paid on publication to be published.
Sometimes, depending on whether I have spent my time that month writing news or features for newspapers or magazines, the hole stretches bigger. There have been several times when I have been owed over £10,000 for work completed, but not yet paid for. It is not at all uncommon for me to have to wait six months or more to get paid for work I have filed on time and to the brief. Once, I had to wait over a year.
In all of these cases, I – like other freelances – fear the unexpected. What if news breaks which makes the article I have written irrelevant, out of date or somehow inappropriate to publish? What if a new editor takes over and decides to ditch the copy? Will I get paid in full? Or will I be paid a kill fee – so just 50% of what I am owed?
For years, freelances like Anna Codrea-Rado have been campaigning against kill fees. Yet publications continue to expect freelance journalists who have filed according to the brief, and on time, to accept just half of what was agreed in advance. This practice leaves you, as a freelance, constantly on edge, worrying about whether or not you will be paid. Whether, even if you wrote exactly what the editor said they wanted, you will struggle to pay your bills that month.
It is not unheard of for editors to ‘ghost’ freelances, especially those who are writing for them for the first time. On social media, I’ve seen freelances pleading for advice from other freelances, explaining that after they filed their copy, the editor went silent. Stopped replying to emails. Failed to publish. Weeks have now gone by, they say. And they don’t know what to do.
When this happens, the freelance is left hanging, in limbo, unsure what has happened and why, no idea whether they will ever get paid.
Reading these posts makes me – a freelance with 20 years’ experience, who regularly writes for national newspapers and magazines – feel so powerless. So scared. What if I pitch an editor I don’t know and end up in the same boat?
Another big problem freelances often face is around late payments. When you are paid on time every month without fail, it must be difficult to imagine how scary it is when the fee you were owed for a piece and were expecting within 30 days of publication does not arrive on time. Often, there is no apology and no explanation. It is up to the freelance to chase it up and find out what is going on, take it up with accounts or spend time trying to figure out why the payment didn’t arrive on time.
This can be incredibly stressful and distracting, especially when you have bills to pay and need the money by the end of the month. It also takes time away from pitching and writing – in other words, time which, as a freelance, you would prefer to spend earning a crust. Yet paying a freelance is rarely a commissioning editor’s top priority, and many freelances worry about ‘bothering’ editors with payment issues, fearing they will be blacklisted for complaining.
It is appalling that kill fees, payment on publication and late payments are widespread practices in journalism. It creates barriers to journalism, ensuring that only those with a financial safety cushion can afford to work as freelance journalists.
That is why, as head of the freelance chapter of the nonprofit organisation Women in Journalism – which campaigns for equality and diversity – I have been working with the founders of the freelance community Freelancing for Journalists, Emma Wilkinson and Lily Canter, along with Codrea-Rado, to create some best practice Freelance Guidelines for editors.
These guidelines, which have been welcomed by the NUJ and Journo Resources, offer practical guidance in three key areas: payment and fees, pitching and writing, and rights, to address all of the issues I have raised here – and more.
We are calling for the abolition of kill fees and payment on publication, rate and fee transparency, fit-for-purpose payment processes, help with late payments, publicly available pitching guidelines, fair copyright payment licences and clear policies on bylines, safety and insurance for freelances.
Women in Journalism has sent these guidelines out to editors across the industry, in the hope that change is possible. And, as my partner Lily Canter put it in our press release, we also hope that these guidelines will empower freelance journalists to challenge poor practice and negotiate fair rates and working conditions.
In my opinion, the way this industry treats its lowest-paid and most precarious workers should shame us all. It doesn’t matter whether you are freelance or an editor – we must all do what we can to change that.
View the Women in Journalism guidelines or take part in a Freelancing for Journalists survey on the state of freelance journalism today and the variability of rates.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
