Organiser and journalist Liz Hodgkinson, who has worked for the Sun, Daily Mail and Times, is asking fellow freelancers to down tools for the day and meet at the Harrow Pub in Whitefriars St, London, at 12:30pm.
"Freelances by definition can't go on strike because they are their own employers; they can, however, be unavailable for work and if they are all unavailable at the same time, the message may get across," a message of support on the gentlemanranters.com site explains.
Cuts in freelance rates, such as those introduced by News International January in 2009, are of particular concern for freelancers and for the news industry as a whole, Hodgkinson, who has also written a history of women on Fleet Street called 'Ladies of the Street', told Journalism.co.uk.
"It's not an official strike backed by any unions, but it is gaining momentum and it's something that's time has come. So many freelancers are fed up with the way they are treated these days, as if anyone can do their job and write any old rubbish for publication," she said.
"We're not talking about tiny little magazines than can't pay freelancers, but multinational corporations, who think if they can get away with paying less, then why shouldn't they?"
Decreasing rates for freelance journalists has a detrimental effect on the quality of content supplied and published by news organisations, said Hodgkinson. Many freelancers and outlets are turning to more comment and opinion pieces rather than commissioning investigative projects, because this material is cheaper, she added.
"In the old days not everybody could be a journalist unless you were part of the National Union of Journalists, for example. That kept rates high and kept people out. Those days are over and it's a good thing that the industry’s open to anybody, but the result is it’s become a free for all, because people think they can get comment for nothing," said Hodgkinson.
It is now rare for freelancers to earn a living from journalism work alone, said Hodgkinson, who wanted to organise a face-to-face meeting rather than an online campaign. The date was chosen because traditionally no papers were printed on a Good Friday.
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Related articles
- New guidelines call for the abolition of kill fees and fair payment practices for freelance journalists
- OMG is it that time again? The tax troubles of a freelancer
- How to build a successful working relationship with editors
- 10 portfolio and publishing platforms for freelancers
- Advice for freelancers: navigating requests for non-billable work calls
