Resources for laid off journalists

It was a brutal 24 hours in journalism around the nation, and yet Eleanor Goldberg made a simple vow.

One of her Jan. 24 Twitter posts read: “While reporting today about federal workers who can’t afford tampons, I was laid off from HuffPost. If there’s anything I can say after 7 years, it’s that I will finish the story (Also if you’re looking to hire a reporter to cover poverty and inequality, I’m available).”

Indeed, supporters of a strong press want that, too – for journalists to stay on the story.  It will be harder in light of continued layoffs. Fortunately, a number of organizations and individuals have stepped up to help their out-of-work colleagues. Multiple articles, events and webinars have touched on the issue. Here’s a sampling of resources for job-hunting journalists. Have any more? Email us at news@poynter.org and we’ll update the list.

• “The Befores and Afters of a Layoff” panel discussion kicks off  today, March 12 at 8:30 p.m., from allDigitocracy with Benét Wilson fielding questions. The speakers will share their own layoff experiences and how they rebounded.
• ONA NYC’s Surviving Journalism panel discussion featured three panelists, with one describing herself as “an expert on being laid off.”
• Poynter.org has a number of useful articles: So you got laid off. Now what?, An editor’s guide to creating an online portfolio, Advice for journalists who’ve lost their jobs from journalists who’ve lost their jobs and from the archives My web chat with Poynter about getting laid (off).
• Other articles from around the web include IndyStar columnist says farewell and thank you and A letter to the laid off.
• The Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) established an ongoing fund to respond to the unprecedented job losses in journalism. EHRP commissions stories that put a human face on financial instability. Laid off reporters, photojournalists and editorial cartoonists can send pitches of less than one page for consideration. (Here’s a story about what EHRP did for laid-off Denver Post reporters)
• INN (Institute for Nonprofit News) Town Hall: Possibilities in nonprofit news held in the wake of media layoffs can be viewed here. Though not a silver bullet, non profit news is the fastest-growing field within journalism.
• This entrepreneurial journalism teaching and learning toolkit, curated by the director of education for the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, offers another avenue. One alum who accepted a buyout from the New York Times did a Ted talk in December about her journalism startup, Clearhealthcosts.com, which has partnered with multiple media outlets, including a team that won the Edward R. Murrow Award.
• Organizers of the Washington, D.C., Journalism Job Fair invited laid off journalists via Twitter to the big event April 6. Now it in sixth year, this fair is hosted by the Georgetown University Master’s of Professional Studies in Journalism program and the Washington, D.C., chapters of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Washington Association of Black Journalists, and the Journalism & Women Symposium. Here’s a registration link.
• The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is offering a free 6-month membership to journalists who have been laid off. It grants access to the NAHJ Career Center portal Journalism Next.
• The Society of Professional Journalists is offering dues waivers to current SPJ members dealing with financial hardships or layoffs. SPJ also started a new LinkedIn page for journalists who have been laid off from their jobs, are looking for work, or are just trying to figure out what’s next in a challenging media environment.
• Journalist of Color Network, launched in response to the recent layoffs, matches talent with recruiters looking to fill immediate and longer-term needs.
• Getting Over Feeling Bad, Sad and Mad is the first in a series of classes for journalists considering a career transition. It’s the brainchild of a former Washington Post reporter who points to David Simon, the Baltimore Sun crime reporter turned screenwriter, as a wonderful example of what’s possible after news.
• Career centers at J-schools offer a range of services to alums, from résumé reviews to job leads.
• A T-shirt can help on a tough day. Christina Carrega, now an editor at ABC News, wore her Ida B. Wells T-shirt “to channel my ancestors” on the day she was laid off from The New York Daily News.
• The most connected woman in Silicon Valley offers networking tips on a recent podcast. Karen Wickre, author of “Taking the Work Out of Networking,” sits on boards of organizations supporting journalism and news literacy.
• The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) offered free tax advice in the wake of national layoffs that have led to many journalists and communicators to consider freelance work.
• The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing’s 2018 recording of Freelance Journalism Getting Down to Business can help answer some questions about freelancing. SPJ, the Freelancers Union, Media Bistro, Editorial Freelancers Association, National Writers Union, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors are also good resources.
• Digital Women Leaders offer coaching for women in journalism. It’s a resource for women looking for job advice, feedback or tips on how to be a better boss.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Christina Carrega. We regret the error.