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What Caught My Eye This Week: Reinvention in a Time of Uncertainty

I preach about the value (and how to) of reinvention all the time, but this story in the New York Times caught my eye this week and really underlined what I believe is so vital about thinking outside of the box when it comes to expanding your coverage, your interests, and your ability as a freelance (or a full-time) journalist. 

In case you don’t have a subscription, the story is about famed sports writer Franz Lidz, who has written for Sports Illustrated and eventually the New York Times.  As the Times notes, “Recently, he has written about a manuscript that contains a tax evasion scheme in ancient Rome; chronicled how soccer may have originated in Scotland rather than England; and profiled an archaeologist in Sweden who spent three years traveling in Viking vessels,” demonstrating a fascinating breadth and depth of reporting on a huge variety of topics. 

If you’re a freelancer or even a staffer right now, you don’t need me to tell you how unstable the media business feels. Beats vanish overnight. Newsrooms collapse or pivot. Freelance budgets can  (and have!) dry up without warning.

Lidz (while he came up in media in a VERY different time) has had a very unconventional career.  His career through-line isn’t focused on one beat or subject; but rather, it’s adaptability: his willingness to leap into new areas, learn from scratch, and translate difficult material into clear, compelling storytelling. 

So what’s the takeaway for each of us? Don’t limit yourself to your beat, your niche, or even the media industry alone. Newsletters are booming right now; there are tons of opportunities to apply your storytelling skills to corporate clients, AI is not going away, and there are ways you can use it (and be smart about it) to find new clients, new outlets, and new ways to get your stories out there. Let your interests guide you when it comes to pitching stories, outlets, or platforms. If you’ve always covered automotive, then consider branching into tech (because, hello, they’re absolutely related). If you write about travel, perhaps consider moving into features, fashion, and interviews. 

For freelancers and full-timers, this means actively looking for ways to expand your areas of expertise. You bring a deep experience in one beat, which can absolutely be applied to another. You just have to get creative with it. Editors increasingly prize versatility and flexibility in these weird days–and think about how you want to expand and pivot. Your career doesn’t have to shrink because the traditional media industry is. That’s the joy of this work, after all, right? We get to dig into interesting and different things every single day–why not use that as one of the many ways to open doors and expand your opportunities?

On to the Jobs

This week, the job opportunities are fairly solid. 

Freelancing is a bit thin, but I’m not surprised, as we’ve officially entered the fourth quarter, and this is always when freelance budgets are cut. 

That being said, there are some really interesting opportunities to get your byline out there, including:

• A high-profile scientific outlet is looking for pitches

• A well-known and lauded social justice outfit is looking for pitches (and pays very well)

On the full-time front, there are TONS of really solid opportunities:

• A national radio platform is looking for a personal finance journalist

• An international automotive platform is looking for a Senior Editor

• There are several solid tech jobs on this week's list that all pay above six figures.

Of course, the Dishonorables have continued to deliver astoundingly outrageous jobs for little to no money. 

I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see you next week! 

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