When loving our work is no longer enough: Recession pushing freelancers to look for other jobs, survey shows

Have we yet to feel the true impact of the news media cuts that have plagued our nation over the past several years?

In Northern California alone, hundreds of journalists have been displaced from their longtime jobs. Many tried to hang onto their chosen profession by working as freelancers — providing a ready source of affordable labor for the region’s newsrooms.

Rebecca Rosen Lum

But with pay eroding and competition increasing, the arrangement is starting to feel less than sustainable for many veteran writers, reporters, editors and photographers. In a survey conducted by GuildFreelancers this spring, 60 percent say freelance jobs pay less than they used to, and nearly half agree that freelance work is getting harder to find.

Our freelance unit chair, Rebecca Rosen Lum, explores the problem in this morning’s California Progress Report. Click here to read the full story.