Hello friends, and greetings from London! I’ve been ~across the pond~ for a wedding, and aside from some stereotypically British dreary weather, it’s been an utterly delightful trip. Who doesn’t love love! (And if you’ve emailed me lately, sorry for the delay, I promise I’ll get back to you!)

Today we have another edition of FWT’s Q&A series, in which I pick out a reader-submitted question or two and offer my take. If you’ve got a question about freelancing or the wider world of journalism, email me at [email protected] or fill out this form with your question.

Anonymous writes,

I'm really lucky to have worked full time in media for the past decade. But my current position is temporary, and with mounting layoffs in journalism this year, I think it’s time to make the career transition to comms.

But I still have stories I want to tell! I know a lot of freelance writers also do branded content/comms strategy. My sense is this tends to be consulting work and just part of their freelance income.

I’m curious if you know of people who work full-time, in-house comms jobs for organizations/institutions and still write freelance stories regularly? Are news outlets open to that if you disclose it (do you need to, or just continue pointing to where you’ve worked and been published before)? Do comms professionals face pushback or limits from their employers? Of course, I would never pitch a story with a conflict (e.g. working for an environmental org and writing about a climate issue).

Ah, the age-old journalism-to-comms pipeline, the ever-present intrusive thought for any working journalist (now more than ever tbh).

So yes, journalists jumping into comms/PR is a well-worn career path that innumerable colleagues have taken. What’s not to love! Better pay, mostly better hours, somewhat better job security (or, at least, not the ever-present, looming threat of impending layoffs — hello, Anonymous), a sizable portion of the general public doesn’t have an ingrained hatred toward you and your profession ... not too bad!

Journalism traditionalists and purists call it selling out — going over to the “dark side.” At one time that may have been the general attitude, but I don’t quite think it is anymore. From “I just quit” happy hours to career-switch posts across LinkedIn, I think a lot of journalists are finding this path to be perfectly viable and, in a lot of ways, a relatively seamless upgrade! A lot of comms roles use a ton of the skills and experience gained as a journalist, and even the very distinctions between some comms jobs and journalism are getting blurrier and blurrier — see this WSJ article from December about brands specifically recruiting journalists for these kinds of positions. (The debate around whether those people are “real journalists” is exhausting, tired, and mind-numbingly dull, so if you’d like to discuss that, please take it to LinkedIn and not my inbox.)

When it comes to freelancing while holding a full-time comms gig, I think as long as you don't pitch anything even remotely related to your comms work (including direct clients and, sometimes, even the industry you're involved in as a whole), you're generally in the clear. Lots of folks successfully do this! I personally know folks who successfully do this! I’m not saying anything we don’t all know already, but, of course, be very careful about avoiding anything that gives off even the whiff of a conflict. Always remember that perception is reality. (And yes, to address one of the thoughts in this question, it can be a little less murky for people who do consulting work as opposed to in-house, but all the same rules still apply.)

You'll also want to make sure — and maybe even get it in writing — that any new job allows for freelancing. Some places don't, or have very strict rules around it (even some news outlets — I've worked at one), so you want to be crystal clear that outside freelance work is permitted.

For your specific questions:

• Yes, news outlets, generally speaking, are mostly open to it with all of the proper disclosures when necessary. (And, if there’s even a little doubt in your mind, lean heavily toward more disclosure.)

• Yes, continue highlighting your portfolio and rely heavily on it, just as you would in any normal freelance situation.

• Whether comms pros face pushback from their employers, I'm not exactly qualified to directly answer that, but again, be absolutely unambiguous and clear about whether your new employer allows it. Like I said, get it in writing; if it's allowed in your contract or employee handbook and you're following any guidelines or stipulations, you’ll be on firmer ground if it ever comes up. (Whether some co-workers might give you grief on an individual level is a whole other conversation.)

All that said, I do know editors who don't love commissioning people who work full time in comms. I also know comms people who freelance on the side and have not gotten commissions because of their day job. For the most part, it isn't a huge issue, and transparency and disclosure are always your best friends (in this and all things freelance), but it is something to be aware of. It's rare if your stories are completely unrelated to any facet of your comms job, but I have seen it happen.

Still, broadly speaking, just be up front if anything could potentially be seen as an issue, and follow your gut about whether something feels iffy. Lots of freelancers have day jobs that aren't in journalism or aren't journalism-adjacent, and they do just fine.

Long story short: Don't lose any sleep over it!

Anonymous asks,

I got some great insights from an expert that don't fit into my word count for my assignment/are tangential to the main topic. Can I use these quotes in other pieces for other publications, and do I have to tell the OG editor or source I'm doing so?

This is just building a source list! Going back to previous sources for other stories is perfectly fine, and on a lot of beats it’s kind of the whole ballgame. Source-building is the most crucial skill for a reporter, so yes, lean on them.

However, in this circumstance and others like it, don’t use direct quotes meant for one story in a different one. It’s not, like, a cardinal sin of journalism, but it’s sloppy and corner-cut-y. Just call them back up, say you’re working on another story in the same realm, and you’d love to talk with them again. It’s certainly okay to use the information they told you to continue filling out your foundational knowledge around a given topic, but do a separate interview specifically for this new story. You’ll probably get much better quotes, anyway.

Cheerio, mates!
-Tim