Freelance Forum

Freelance Forum 94

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Hazards of Reporting from the Middle East, with freelance journalist Deaglán de Bréadún

Freelance Forum 95

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 95 The Editors: Pitching to The Press GCN editor Alice Linehan, and Business Post head of news Peter O’Dwyer talk with journalist Pr...

Freelance Forum 93

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Opening Address at the Spring 2025 Freelance Forum on 14 April Karlin Lillington on "Skynet for Journalism? Dealing with Artificial intelligence"

Freelance Forum 92

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Opening remarks from Seamus Dooley, NUJ deputy general secretary, at the Spring 2025 Freelance Forum.

Freelance Forum: January 2025 update

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum events and podcasts update for January 2025.

Freelance Forum 91

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 91: Journalist Henry Bauress and others talk about media coverage and disinformation issues around the Irish General Election, recorde...

Freelance Forum 90

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Freelancing Life NUJ life membership recipients Fr Brian D’Arcy, Peter Murtagh, and Pat Ruddy talk with Stephanie Costello, freelance journalis...

Freelance Forum 89

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Editors: Pitching to The Press - Jillian Bolger, Weekend/food & travel editor, Irish Examiner and Karen Morgan, Ireland Visuals editor, The Sunda...

Freelance Forum 88

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world of publishing. Traditional print publishing, e-publishing, and independent publishing, with literary agent Jonathan Williams and writers Ger...

Freelance Forum 87

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Reporting on climate change: Irish Independent environmental correspondent Caroline O'Doherty, journalist Rosalind Skillen and tv/film climate editor ...

Freelance Forum 86

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

RTÉ broadcaster and NUJ joint vice president Fran McNulty talks about the challenges facing journalists. Also heard is NUJ Irish Secretary Seamus Doo...

Freelance Forum 85

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 85: Writer and activist Liz Carolan talks about her newsletter The Briefing, which monitors political advertising expenditure by polit...

Freelance Forum 84

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 84: the Future of Media in Ireland, and Artificial Intelligence. A Halloween Story. Check our Freelance Forum https://dublinfreelance....

Freelance Forum 83: Joe Armstrong

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and journalist Joe Armstrong talks about how journalism covers religion, and why journalists need to hold on to their scepticism when reporting...

Freelance Forum 82: DCTV

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Greene, Outreach and Training Coordinator at Dublin Community Television, talks about the world of community television, how it can provide an o...

Freelance Forum 81: Writing an Effective Press Release

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Dunne talks with business journalist, publisher and media trainer Frank Dillon of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.

Freelance Forum 80: Daire Dempsey TENI

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 80: Daire Dempsey, policy officer with the Transgender Equality Network Ireland (teni.ie) talks about issues facing transgender people...

Freelance Forum 79: Rónán Ó Domhnaill

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rónán Ó Domhnaill, media development commissioner with Coimisiún na Meán, talks about the latest work on the Courts Reporting Scheme and the Loca...

Freelance Forum 78: Privacy and Safety Online

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fergal Crehan is a barrister, with an interest in privacy and data protection. He speaks on staying safe online as journalists, personal privacy safeg...

Freelance Forum 77: Newsletters

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 77: Newsletters. Marketing consultant Drew Sheil and Dublin Inquirer co-founder Sam Tranum discuss the use of email newsletters to re...

Freelance Forum 76: Pitching your Story

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 76: Pitching To Editors with Jo Linehan (Sunday Times Climate magazine) Charlie Taylor (Business Post, Connected) and freelance journ...

Freelance Forum 75: Journalism in Troubled Times

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 75: Tim Dawson, deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists and a former president of the NUJ, delivers an...

Freelance Forum 74: Diversity in Irish Media

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 74: From the Spring 2024 Forum, Priyanka Borpujari, James Casey [https://ilmi.ie/], Paula Fagan [https://lgbt.ie], and Aoife Kavanagh ...

Freelance Forum 73: Walaa Sabah

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Walaa Sabah talks about life in Palestine, being separated from her family since last year, and the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza...

Freelance Forum Spring 2024

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum is a regular one day event designed to keep freelance journalists up to date with the latest developments in their industry. Aimed at ...

Freelance Forum 72

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 72: The future of journalism, technological challenges, and advice to freelancers with Jeff Jarvis, American journalist and the Leonar...

Freelance Forum 71: Malachi O'Doherty

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malachi O'Doherty is a journalist, author and broadcaster in Northern Ireland. He talks with Gerard Cunningham about Strategic Lawsuits Against Publi...

Freelance Forum 70: Coming To Ireland

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roba Aldereh spoke with Shamim Malekian, Nina Mishchenko, Razan Ibrahim, Heidar Al-Hashimi, and Carmelle Keane about the experiences and observations ...

Freelance Forum 69: Hope & Courage Collective

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 69: Hope & Courage Collective Mark Malone of the Hope & Courage Collective speaks about the challenges of reporting on the far right i...

Freelance Forum 65: Natasha Hirst

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NUJ president Natasha Hirst talks about life as a freelance journalist and photographer, and how the NUJ can help. Recorded in Dublin at the Freelane ...

Freelance Forum 68: Joy Echipue

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum Podcast Series Episode 68: Joy Echipue. Gerard Cunningham talks with Joy Echipue about URock Magazine, living in Ireland, and breaking...

Freelance Forum 67: Pitching to the Press

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Rogan, Business Post deputy editor, Jennifer Stevens, Sunday Times features editor, Irish Tatler editor Jessie Collins, and Fiona Kenny talk abo...

Freelance Forum 66: Rage Against the [A.I] Machines?

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Natasha Hirst, Seamus Dooley, Harry Browne, and Stephanie Costello talk about new technological and business challenges facing freelance journalists a...

Freelance Forum 64: Travel in Europe

14 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 64: Journalist Margaret Ward talks about travelling in Eastern Europe, the impact the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had on other cou...

Freelance Forum Autumn 2023

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Freelance Forum Autumn 2023 event takes place on Monday 16 October at the Gresham Hotel, Dublin. Reserve your place today at https://dublinfreelan...

Freelance Forum 63: Autumn Courses with Lucille Redmond

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 63: As the Autumn draws closer and evenings begin to lengthen, Lucille Redmond talks about one option for evening courses that might b...

Freelance Forum 62: The Freelance Life with Amy Fallon

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 62: The Freelance Life - Gerard Cunningham talks with Amy Fallon about working as a freelance journalist in various markets, the diffe...

Freelance Forum 61: Media Development Commissioner Rónán Ó Domhnaill

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 61: As Coimisiún na Meán prepares for the future, Media Development Commissioner Rónán Ó Domhnaill talks about plans for the deve...

Freelance Forum 60: LGBTQ+ Pride

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 60: For Pride Month, Gerard Cunningham spoke with activist Stephen Spillane and with Sinead Keane, director of communications and adv...

Freelance Forum 59: Pitching for Popular Press

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Irish Daily Mail Editor Eddie Coffey and Irish Daily Star Sports Editor David Coughlan speak with freelance journalist Stephanie Costello, about pitch...

Freelance Forum 58: Freedom of Information

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

RTÉ freedom of information deciding officer Richard Dowling, Niall Sargent, an investigative reporter with Noteworthy, and freelance journalist Rober...

Freelance Forum 57: Co-operatives for Journalists

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Bridget Carroll from University College Cork and Darragh Walshe from the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society speak about how co-co-operative mo...

Freelance Forum 56: Press Ombudsman Susan McKay

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 56: Press Ombudsman Susan McKay talks about her career and the challenges facing journalists in Ireland at the Spring 2023 Freelance F...

Freelance Forum Extra 02

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Aine O'Meara from Headline.ie talks about the Mental Health Fellowship for journalists. More information at https://headline.ie/fellowship

Freelance Forum Extra 01

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yuk Lan Wong talks about the Local Media for Democracy fund from the European Federation of Journalists. You can find out more at https://europeanjour...

Freelance Forum 55: Newsletters with Simon McGarr

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Solicitor and writer Simon McGarr talks about using Newsletters, and what he has learned from the experience on building a subscriber base, fundraisin...

Freelance Forum 54: Prof Dan Kennedy on Local News

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gerard Cunningham talks with Dan Kennedy, professor of Journalism at Northeastern University about the state of modern journalism, the future of local...

Freelance Forum 53: Workplace Mental Health

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum podcast episode 53: February 2023 In the first part of this podcast, Gerard Cunningham spoke with Zlatina Siderova about the IJ4EU Fr...

Freelance Forum 52: Kieran Fagan on self-publishing

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum Autumn 2022 Episode 52: Freelance journalist and writer Kieran Fagan talks about his experience in self-publishing a non-fiction book ...

Freelance Forum 51: Text, Sound and Vision

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 51: Freelance journalist Kieran Fagan talks with Donal O'Donavan (Irish Independent business editor) and Liam Boyle (BAI) discuss pitc...

Freelance Forum 50: The Future of Freelancing

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 50: Freelance journalist Stephanie Costello spoke with The Ditch editor Eoghan McNeill and Irish Secretary of the NUJ Seamus Dooley ab...

Freelance Forum 49: Mastodon with Karlin Lillington

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 49: Freelance technology journalist Karlin Lillington talks about Mastodon and what the new wave of federated social networks could me...

Freelance Forum 48: Investigative Journalism

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 48: Is Investigative Journalism Worth The Effort? Noteworthy Editor Maria Delaney, journalist Conall Ó Fátharta, and Roman Shortall ...

Freelance Forum 47: Transparency Ireland

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 47: John Devitt talks about the work of Transparency Ireland on public accountability, and how they work with journalists.

Freelance Forum 46: The European Parliament

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 46: Fionnuala Croker is a press officer at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland, where she has worked since March 2019. S...

Freelance Forum 45: Norma Costello

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 45: Journalist Norma Costello talks about reporting from conflict zones, the particular hazards it presents, and the effects of disinf...

Freelance Forum 44: Darren Mooney

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 44: Darren Mooney talks about writing on popular culture, reviewing and covering comic books, television and film, pitching to overse...

Freelance Forum Autumn 2022: Promotion

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum Autumn 2022: Promotion by Faduda

Freelance Forum 43: Manchán Magan

05 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 43: Manchán Magan talks about working as a travel journalist and writer, how travel journalism has changed since he began working in ...

Freelance Forum 42: Rory Byrne of Security First

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 42: Rory Byrne of Security First Rory Byrne, co-founder of Security First talks about security measures for journalists. Rory Byrne is...

Freelance Forum 41: Commissioning Editors

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Berni Dwan speaking with Irish Examiner news editor Deirdre O’Shaughnessy and Dublin Inquirer co-founder Sam Tranum about commissioning, the kind of...

Freelance Forum 40: Writing Fiction

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rachael English, Cormac O'Keeffe and Margaret Ward discuss the challenges and opportunities for journalists in writing fiction. Recorded live at Sprin...

Freelance Forum 39: Padraig O'Morain

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Padraig O'Morain talks about life after Covid, and re-entering the world after time spent in lockdowns and social distancing. Recorded live at the Spr...

Freelance Forum 38: Jennifer Duggan

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Irish journalist and Time magazine editor Jennifer Duggan talks about pitching to American news and magazine outlets. Now based in Dublin, Jennifer i...

Freelance Forum 37: Darren Boyle

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Darren Boyle talks about writing fiction in the crime genre, how it differs from factual reporting and ghostwriting, publishing, the pitfal...

Freelance Forum 36: Fergal Gallagher

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Irish journalist Fergal Gallagher talks about working with ABC News, and about selling and pitching to US editors and producers.

Freelance Forum: What Next?

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freleance Forum: What Next? What would you like to hear about from the Freelance Forum in 2022? Send your ideas and suggestions to Gerard Cunningham,...

Freelance Forum 35: Berni Dwan

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum Episode 35 Journalist and broadcaster Berni Dwan talks about her experience in "cracking the code" for the Sound+Vision Scheme, a BAI ...

Freelance Forum 34: Going Corporate

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum Episode 34: highlights of a recent webinar with SA Mathieson, talking about Going corporate - how to approach editorial work for compa...

Freelance Forum 33: Screenwriting in the UK

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this webinar, James Doherty talks about Screenwriting opportunities in the UK. James started writing for Brookside when he was 21, going on to writ...

Freelance Forum 32: The Future of Freelancing

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 32: Recording of a live webinar on 1 November 2021 discussing the Future of Media and Freelance Journalism after Covid, with NUJ Gener...

Freelance Forum 31: Starting Up

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance journalist Stephen Bourke talks to broadcaster and recent TU Dublin graduate Aoife Kearns, a journalist with WLR, and Nathan Young, a studen...

Freelance Forum 30: Budget and Broadcasting

24 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Financial journalist Sinead Ryan talks about Budget 2022 and its impact for freelancers and other self-employed people, and writer/producer Martin Dev...

Freelance Forum 29: Pitching to Editors

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Carissa Casey, deputy editor of Woman's Way [https://www.womansway.ie/], and Luke Dunne from Film in Dublin, publisher of Pretty Deadly Films (PDF) ta...

Freelance Forum 28: Tom Lyons ceo of The Currency

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Lyons talks about new online startup The Currency, what they're looking for from freelance pitches, and the challenges of starting a new business ...

Freelance Forum 27: Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney

26 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney talks about the work of the Press Council in resolving complaints, and the challenges for newspapers dealing with publica...

Freelance Forum 26: Spring 2021 Webinar 3: Social Media Tactics to Push Your Brand and Your Story

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Melanie Boylan is a Social Media Trainer and Journalist based in Co Westmeath who has spent the last four years honing her methods for building her br...

Freelance Forum 25: Spring 2021 Webinar 2 -How to make a great podcast in Six Straightforward Steps

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Want to make a podcast on a shoestring but don't know where to start? Need to define your target audience and work out how to record remotely? Former ...

Freelance Forum 24: Spring 2021 Webinar 1 - Making Media Pay

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum #24: Spring 2021 Webinar 1, a panel discussion on ways to make money using online media. Featuring Gerard Cunningham, Martin McMahon ...

Freelance Forum 23: Four young journalists from Gorm TV on diversity and inclusion

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mamobo Ogoro is a Social Psychology PhD candidate and the founder of Gorm Media. Trained as social psychologist and now applying her knowledge into th...

Freelance Forum 22: Eliot Higgins talks about Bellingcat, disinformation, and countering propaganda

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 22: Eliot Higgins talks about Bellingcat, disinformation, and countering propaganda

Freelance Forum 21: Photographer David Branigan talks about licensing and copyright

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 21: Photographer David Branigan talks about licensing and copyright. David Branigan talks about licensing and copyright issues. David ...

Freelance Forum 20: Paul Carroll talks about self-publishing

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Paul Carroll talks about writing fiction, marketing and promotion, self-publishing, and ebooks. Find out more about Paul's work at paulcarrollw...

Freelance Forum 19: Simon Cocking of IrishTechNews

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Cocking has been Chief Editor at Irish Tech News (https://irishtechnews.ie/), and a business mentor and advisor working with over 200 successful...

Freelance Forum 18: Sound+Vision

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freelance Forum 18: Philip Cooper from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland talks about the Sound+Vision Scheme. The closing date for Round 38 of the...

Freelance Forum 17: Brigie de Courcey from RTE

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Brigie de Courcey from RTE talks about scriptwriting for Fair City

Freelance Forum 16: Sinead Ryan talks about personal finances

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Financial journalist Sinead Ryan talks about finances, taxation, the pandemic payments, and changes as a result of the October 2020 Budget announcemen...

Freelance Forum 15: Philip O'Connor on Reporting the Far Right

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stockholm based Irish journalist Philip O'Connor talks about the challenges of reporting on the far-right in Sweden, and the lessons Irish journalists...

Freelance Forum: Acknowledgements

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thank you for listening. That's all for now, but if you would like to hear a topic covered in future, or would like to contribute to a future episode,...

Freelance Forum 14: Conall Heussaff and Dylan Daniels from FAC Magazine

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Conall Heussaff and Dylan Daniels talk about FAC Magazine, from editorial directions to innovative approaches to funding. You can find out more at ht...

#13: Stephanie Costello at Dublin Inquirer

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dublin Inquirer editor Stephanie Costello talks about the innovative Dublin news website and newspaper, how they approach story beats, and plans for t...

Freelance Forum 12: Áine Toner talks about Woman's Way magazine

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Woman's Way editor Áine Toner talks about her role editing the popular magazine, what kinds of article the magazine is looking for, and the best way ...

Freelance Forum 11: Eileen Culloty on Countering Disinformation

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eileen Culloty, a post-doctoral researcher at FuJo, the Institute for Future Media and Journalism (https://fujomedia.eu/) at Dublin City university, ...

Freelance Forum 10: Therese Caherty speaks about the Mary Mulvihill Award

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Therese Caherty talks about science journalist Mary Mulvihill, and the Mary Mulvihill Award set up in her memory. Therese is co-chair of the associati...

Freelance Forum 9: Cassie Delaney on Rogue Collective

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cassie Delaney talks about the Tall Tales podcast network and the Rogue Collective, an online news outlet with intelligent content for women, by wome...

Freelance Forum 8: Ken Foxe on using Freedom of Information

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Ken Foxe talks about the freedom of information process as a way to uncover news stories. You can find out more at his FOI Guide: http://ww...

Freelance Forum 7: Sarah Binchy on Sunday Miscellany

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

RTÉ producer Sarah Binchy talks about Sunday Miscellany, the RTÉ Short Story competition, and breaking into broadcasting. You can check out further ...

Freelance Forum 6: Aileen O'Meara on podcasting and audio production

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Independent producer and media trainer Aileen O'Meara talks about organising your own podcast, whether it's for profit, promotion or pleasure. In the ...

Freelance Forum 5: Seamus Dooley on the future of journalism

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

NUJ Irish Secretary Seamus Dooley describes how journalists and news media organisations are dealing with the challenges of Covid, and talks about the...

Freelance Forum 4: Joe Joyce on Writing Fiction

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Joe Joyce discusses the differences between news reporting, journalism and writing fiction, why journalism can be a bad preparation for fiction...