By Jarre FeesSince the Internet reached its adolescence, both print and on-camera journalists have watched the gradual decline of the freelance market.But last year’s economic collapse dealt a heavy blow to writers, editors, news anchors and others, who now find themselves in a free-falling market that is saturated with professionals.Many of those journalists were able to find freelance work last year, only to discover that this year’s sinking market is much more crowded and, since no one knows how much further it is to the bottom, are being forced to pursue alternative employment.Unity: Journalists of Color’s recently released 2009 Layoff Tracker Report found that there have been 46,599 U.S. journalism jobs lost since Jan. 1, 2008.The U.S. Department of Labor, in its Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009, predicts little or no change in employment for journalists through 2016. That statistic, of course, doesn’t include freelancers, who are already working just outside the system.Some journalists are trading their independence for more dependable lines of work — teaching jobs are available nationwide to qualified candidates. Other freelancers are turning to fields they’ve always been interested in but never had a chance to explore.When WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla., did not renew news anchor Terry Anzur’s contract in 2006 she said she welcomed the opportunity to return to Southern California, where she had previously served as co-anchor for KTLA-TV’s “News at Ten.”Unable to find another on-air job, she started Terry Anzur Coaching Services in 2007 to coach on-camera talent for TV stations in the United States and Canada. Anzur said she “had a great year in 2008, including four months preparing young journalists to cover the first multiparty democratic election in the Islamic Republic of Maldives,” but characterized 2009 as “a tough year because most stations have cut their training budgets to nothing.”The
evolution from print to Internet, Anzur said, is reminiscent of the earlier changeover from radio to television. “The industry is still in transition,” she said, “trying to figure out where the revenue streams are going to come from.”Many freelancers are wondering whether those revenue streams are ever going to come at all.Entertainment journalist Robyn Flans, who spent five years writing for People magazine and has freelanced for a number of publications, said she believes the market downturn is permanent.“All the magazines are folding,” she said, “or everyone’s using in-house writers. Publishers are going to see that, even if the economy
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