Earlier this year, a group of 18 donors funded the first annual €1,000 Spark Grant, meant to support a freelance journalist in doing a great, in-depth, public-interest story. Now they’ve decided who they’re giving it to.
Being a freelance journalist in Ireland is tough: the pay is often low, and even worse, some publications are slow to pay – or don’t pay at all. What’s a freelancer to do?
We’re now accepting applications for this year’s crowd-funded €1,000 Spark Grant, which will go to a freelance journalist to help them write a great public-interest article.
Most journalists would agree that the default position should be to name those we quote in our articles. But government spokespeople resist this, insisting on anonymity.
The SCMF is a government-sponsored programme that pays Irish journalists to travel the world and tell us about it. So what’s wrong with that? Well, there are two things about it that bother me.
How does the publication of Nicholas Pell’s op-ed and William Reville’s column fit with the paper’s pledges to discourage discrimination, promote tolerance, and oppose hatred?
Spending on “Dublin: A Breath of Fresh Air” campaign, part-funded by DCC, included £135,000 to the Guardian for services including an article by Will Self.
If we exclude them, are we lying to you (by omission) about what Dublin’s really like? If we include them, are we legitimising and encouraging them? Is there any point in engaging with what they are saying?
Student newspapers can have staffs of dozens, and circulations of thousands – but they may not require their journalists to have any formal journalism education or training.
