Freelance journalists – submit your articles

SOUTH AFRICA. – What a time in which to live! It feels as if I have been caught up in a science fiction movie.

All I want to do at this stage is to run around the block. Not this morning before 09:00 – that is when I read the news and prepare for the day that lies ahead. I want to jog now, at the end of my working day, when my head is full and my temper short.

Especially now, in this time where business owners have to cope with more stress than ever before, one needs some sort of an escape valve. So, I yoga with music in my ears or I jump trampoline with my kids. But that does not exhaust me as much as jogging does… And I do not think so well as when I jog.

At FiND iT we have undergone several changes during the last few weeks. Funnily enough, FiND iT enjoyed the best month ever as far as its readership is concerned. We recognised the fact that many of our readers are not locals and that they want to read news – for free – in both Afrikaans and English.

It was heart-breaking to learn that big names such as Cosmopolitan, Vrouekeur and Rooi Rose are closing up shop. Many journalists who contributed to these magazines are freelancers. At Vrouwees we also decided to stop publishing our monthly edition, but instead write insightful and interesting articles, aimed at women.

This gap in the market caused a vacuum with freelance journalists. What to do now? They must write like crazy to maintain an income.

With this in mind, FiND iT started a small fund to support freelance journalists. We now offer an opportunity to all freelance journalists in the country to submit contributions to us. Readers will be able to read the articles, all of which would be between 400 and 600 words, quickly and effortlessly. We are looking for news stories, people stories, interviews, factual reports.

The fund is limited and will be closed down as soon as it has been exhausted. We shall only publish articles that were submitted correctly and that conform to our requirements.

We also open up the fund to businesses that would want to become involved in the Freedomforfreelancers-project. If interested, send an email to jana@find-it.co.za. If you want to submit an article, use this link. Please follow this link only for contributions.

May the lockdown-period be lifted soon and safely, so that all of us can find our feet once again. May press freedom triumph and survive. May the media’s voice not go quiet like those publications who were forced to close their doors.

Jana Grobbelaar, editor