Journalism Division

The Journalism Division includes freelance journalists of all types; from stringers to feature writers to editors; for both print and the web. Freelancers in the digital age have seen their rates plummet. In the early days of writing for the web, writers bought the argument that readers demanded their content for free and the platforms were having trouble monetizing it. This is no longer the case. The revenue streams for digital content have grown over the last fifteen years while the rates that writers earn have mostly stagnated. A generation of writers have come of age believing that their writing is worth ten cents, five cents a word – many have even agreed for years to write for free in exchange for “exposure.” Our mission is to bring together freelance writers so that we can marshal our collective knowledge and financial resources to challenge this status quo. We need to research and define new standards for freelance journalism in the digital age and to promote and enforce those standards among our peers. We can have an impact, but we need you to join us. Our dues can help fund larger national initiatives to raise standards, but more importantly our members’ knowledge can help us map out the strategy and tactics it will take to win. Join the NWU Journalism Division today and get involved!

There are links on the right-hand side of this page for joining our Journalism Division Email List and for purchasing IFJ and NWU Press Passes. 

Freelancer Agreements

NWU has written agreements with a number of publications that detail standards and procedures for their freelance writers. For more information on these agreements follow the links below: 

The Nation

In These Times

Jacobin Magazine

Latest Division News

My Friend, Ursula

Ursula Le Guin and I first met in 1966 at a party at her house in Portland, Oregon. She was writing The Wizard of Earthsea, and I was cranking out fashion copy for a department store. We were both married to academic historians. She had three children and I, at the time, had none. When I […]

NWU Comments on Draft of “Digital Copyright Act of 2021”

The NWU has submitted comments regarding changes to the U.S. Copyright Act to Senators Patrick Leahy and Thom Tillis, who are the chair and ranking minority member respectively of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. Our response addresses Tillis’ discussion draft of the proposed Digital Copyright Act of 2021. As we noted last year, […]

Journalism is a Public Good – Especially Now!

Journalism is a public good. Journalism is essential for democracy. In the midst of a global pandemic the need for quality, independent information is vital.  And yet, across the world, journalists’ jobs are being axed, media are closing down and  information is being censored, restricted or used simply as a commodity to be bought and  […]