News & Media

I just got feedback and I am panicking!!! It just says "hmm." No context. No notes. Just "hmm." I stared at it for an hour like it was a riddle. Writers suffer the most from vagu… more

I am working shifts that finish past midnight and start before sunrise, but I still live with my parents because I cannot afford rent near the office. No one tells you how hard it is to chase a dream … more

My pieces do well on social, but I'm still chasing pennies for assignments. Have you figured out how to turn online popularity into jobs that actually pay well?

I cut "game-changing" out of a piece three times. It came back three times. By the final draft, I left it in just to watch them smile at their own cliché.

I hesitated for ten minutes before sending script because I was terrified I had worded something in a way that could break media law. No one really tells you how heavy that responsibility feels until … more

My job involves a lot of code-switching, as I adapt my writing style and voice for various publications - and I'm starting to feel disconnected from my own voice. Do you have ways to stay true to … more

I find in my job most of the time no two days are ever quite the same, especially with the fast paced side of media! Sometimes that unpredictability is what gets me out of bed, other times it’s just p… more

I hear more and more advice from people telling me to use AI or Chat GPT for cover letters. Surely this is unappealing from a recruitment point of view. No one is going to hire a writer who uses Chat … more

I secretly test my headlines on friends in WhatsApp before sending them to an editor. Half the time, their gut reaction is sharper than the "professional" feedback I get. Who do you rely on … more

🔥 Hot take: What’s one thing you can do at work that AI will never replace? Let us know in the comments!

I once got asked to "make the copy more masculine." For an ad about hand soap. I stared at my screen for a full hour wondering what they wanted - fewer adjectives? Still haunts me to this da… more

got told by a senior producer today, "Do not be afraid to make mistakes - just do not make the same one twice." That is probably the best advice I have had in this placement. What is one pie… more

I once wrote "click here" as a placeholder CTA while drafting. It made it all the way through approvals and onto the live site. Months later, it was still there. Sometimes laziness hides bet… more

After all the work I put into editing a piece for clarity, the published version was reverted to some of the original text. I am livid! Have you ever seen your edits reversed after publication, and ho… more

Have you ever gone for an interview and found out the job differs wildly from what is advertised? Like the hours or location is different or maybe the entire job is different from what you applied for?

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I’ve worked in digital media for a while now, and I still love the feeling of fast turnarounds and seeing work go live instantly. But the pace can be relentless, and sometimes it feels like you never … more

Some journalists are using AI to make their jobs easier, while others won't touch it. I want to hear from both sides. For those who have tried it, what's the most valuable thing it's done … more

I chased a lead for three days only to discover the whole thing started from a doctored clip on social media. Research is not glamorous. It is long, messy, and full of dead ends. How do you keep your … more

As a shy reporter, I feel like I don't fit in. I love writing, but interviewing gives me anxiety attacks. People in general seem to dismiss me because I'm not bubbly and confident like my cowo… more

I saw a colleague openly disagree with an editor in a meeting. They were firm but respectful, and everyone actually listened. It made me realise I usually just nod along. Do you challenge decisions at… more

If you aren't getting paid by an outlet as a freelancer, do you shame them publicly? Is it fair or does it make you seem unprofessional?

I have a regular client who approved my press release draft, but now they keep requesting "small adjustments" - changing the headline, tweaking quotes, adding new sources. Each revision take… more

We’ve seen the rise of short-form video, social media, newsletters and streaming. What do you think the next big audience shift will be that the industry has to adapt to? Or do you think it’ll be a co… more

Lots of companies talk about “wellbeing,” but it’s not always clear what that means day to day. In your experience, does your workplace genuinely support mental health with actual time off initiatives… more

Interviewing for a fully remote role after 3 years in a traditional newsroom. Even my current hybrid setup leaves me feeling disconnected on home days. How do you build relationships with sources and … more

As a freelancer, I once got ghosted after delivering copy... only to see my exact words published a week later. No edits. No payment. Just silence. The wildest part is, this is not even rare. Have you… more

A client asked me to "add some sparkle" to copy about GDPR compliance .. Sparkle. For privacy regulations. Planning on handing this in for a lol

✨️✨️✨️GDPR complaince ✨️✨️✨️

Sometimes I think … more

Been working on a campaign where every stakeholder wanted a line changed - legal, PR, marketing, comms. By the end, nothing sounded like a human wrote it. Too many cooks, zero flavour. Have you ever w… more

I'm juggling stories for three different outlets right now because freelance pay is so unpredictable. How am I supposed to have WLB when saying no might mean missing rent?

I quite often stay late or login on the weekend when it’s super busy, and I know in this industry it’s almost expected of us. But does your company offer you overtime pay or TOIL? Or is it just expect… more

I got told I need to "toughen up" if I want to last in this industry. But why is resilience always framed as taking more hits instead of changing the culture that throws them? How do you bal… more

I once spent half a day arguing over whether "chaos" was too strong a word in a breaking news story. Meanwhile, the actual situation on the ground was... chaos. At what point are we just wri… more

I have a new editor and I can't work out if they are on a power trip or just have a personal dislike of me. Everything I write they have 'notes on' or think I have 'the wrong angle'. It's … more

As a freelancer, I got told: "This should only take 30 minutes." It was a 1,200-word feature with six sources, fact-checking, and SEO. Funny how "quick job" is always code for &quo… more

Media can be a 24/7 industry, but I still get that sinking feeling when a quick question or a small emergency comes through well out of hours and late at night. Do you set boundaries with out-of-hours… more

I recently became promoted into a more leadership role. But I’m finding the transition from being an equal teammate to leading the team can be awkward. How do you navigate that shift without losing tr… more

I'm a new producer and excited to be joining a really solid team. They clearly trust each other, have fun together, and their coordination during big stories is impressive. I'd love to become … more

Covered a breaking tech outage once. The story was three hours late because approval chains dragged it down. By the time it went live, Twitter had already memed it to death. The internet moves faster … more

As a freelancer, I got a rush job on a breaking story about a major tech outage. The brief came in two hours after the outage started... and they still wanted it to sound "fresh." How do you… more