In 2023 freelance journalist Jem Collins won the IPSE Outstanding Freelancer Award for ushering in “overdue transparency, fairness and pay improvements” for freelance journalists.  

Jem founded Journo Resources to empower freelance journalists with insight, training and resources that cannot be found anywhere else, with a focus on supporting marginalised groups.  

By only listing jobs with stated rates of pay, Journo Resources has prompted dozens of national media organisations to publish salaries and rates of pay for the first time, with more than 170,000 people having consulted the database so far. 

Journo Resources has also trained more than 6,000 journalists at its workshop series, whilst providing a real-life pitch library and a mentoring fellowship that has seen 90% go on to secure future work. 

Having juggled the business as a part-time venture alongside other freelance contracts for five years, Journo Resources is now a sustainable business with a diverse income stream. 

In this fireside chat, IPSE’s Director of Membership Vicks Rodwell catches up with Jem to discuss: 

• Journo Resources’ salary transparency campaign 
• Key obstacles faced by marginalised groups in the journalism field, and initiatives Journo Resources has implemented to tackle these 
• Advice for establishing a thriving freelance journalist career in a competitive industry