Tell People's Stories Through Freelance Journalism!
- Nela Friesen
- May 23, 2025
- 4 min read
Table of Contents
About Heather Cameron
Heather Leigh Cameron is a freelance journalist, meaning that she works independently and will submit work for a large variety of companies rather than working for only one company. She mainly writes for a group of certain newspapers and has been in the journalism field since 2005. She has some learning disabilities, which made high school difficult, and she wasn't sure which career to pursue after graduating. Still, she decided to go into journalism after her mom recommended it, and it has become a job she loves. Her work is displayed in various publications across Alberta and online.
What is Freelance Journalism Like?
An Average Day
Heather did a three-week internship at the Fort Macleod Gazette in 2007. During this internship, she went to an office every day, where she would be handed her assignments. Some days, she would stay in the office all day, and other days, she would go out for her assignments to gather information.
Now she is a freelancer, so she works from home and only occasionally goes out on assignments. She doesn't have any set hours. It is nice to have that flexibility in her schedule, and she is glad she can do what she does to help others through her stories.
As for writing news stories, she will start by finding leads, which can involve looking through social media platforms for stories or having them handed to her by a news company. She will then email relevant contacts for more information regarding the story. Sometimes, she will need to go out to talk to people in person. After she has gotten the information she needs, she can then write her article to be published later.
Pay
Freelance journalism does not pay a lot, but she loves writing and taking pictures, so it is worth it. Doing freelance work also adds up because you get contacts and chances to impress people that can lead to great opportunities in the future.
Work Conditions
As a freelance journalist, most of the work is independent, but there are opportunities for collaboration. Heather signs contracts to write stories for certain companies, but she is free to write stories for others on the side. She will work together with companies to create finished stories for their papers.
As a freelance writer, her hours can vary greatly, depending on the assignment. Some assignments start as early as 9 AM, while others go as late as 9 PM.
If you don't know what you are doing or if you're not patient, knowing that your hard work will pay off in the end, it can be a stressful job. However, if you understand that your hard work will give good results in the end, then it doesn't have to be. You will need to learn to stay calm when things or people get difficult.
Qualities Needed
Patience and commitment are very important in this field, especially as you are just starting out. It can be hard to find opportunities, but Heather told me that you need to remember that even if you aren't the perfect fit for someone right now, you will find better opportunities that suit you in the future. It's important to give a good impression on any job you manage to get, because that is what will lead to better opportunities. You will need to work hard, and you have to love to write to succeed in journalism.
Hardest and Easiest Parts of the Job
The hardest part of journalism is that sometimes people don't want to talk. Some reporters care more about the fame and telling crazy stories than they care about the people and their story, which can make people wary of reporters and unwilling to talk to them.
The easiest part for Heather is the storytelling. She loves connecting with people and sharing their stories. She told me that while her personal story hasn't always been great, she can help others by telling their stories.
Why Choose this Career?
As a reporter, you get to share people's stories with the world. You can help and inspire others through your storytelling, making it a very rewarding career.
Misconceptions
People often have the misconception that being a reporter is a very glamorous job. The expectation is that you enter the field and immediately start reporting on big stories. The reality is that, like with any other job, you have to work your way up and continuously learn and improve. You will have to work with others and accept feedback to keep improving at your job.
Post-Secondary
Heather completed the print journalism program at Lethbridge Polytechnic. As technology has evolved, this program has since become Digital Communications and Media. It was a busy program, but she was able to get through it by accepting and applying the feedback given to her. One of the things she remembers learning that she enjoyed was that if you don't know the answer to something, you can always ask someone who might know the answer. If they don't know the answer either, then you should ask them, "Do you know who knows the answer?" Their professor taught this to them through an exercise where the students would be given a question, and sometimes they could use the internet to find the answer, but sometimes they couldn't. Looking at the tuition calculator on the Lethbridge Polytechnic website, this program is estimated to cost a bit under $20000, including tuition, fees, and supplies for both years of school.
When asked if there is demand for reporters right now, Heather said that there is always room for more honest and ethical reporters who love the job and want to do their job well. There is often misinformation and bias in the media, so the media needs more journalists who prioritize telling the truth rather than writing crazy stories just to spread hype.
What can High School Students do to Prepare?
Writing skills are crucial in this field, so it is important to develop these skills as you go through high school. Keeping your eyes open and learning to spot stories around you will also be very helpful in journalism. Heather told me to think of everything as fascinating because even small stories can grow to become great.
Check Out Heather Cameron!
Instagram: Instagram (heatherleighcameron)
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