Michael Malone, a former business writer for the San Jose Mercury News, writes on the ABC News web site about life as a freelance journalist.
Malone wrote, “In 1981, I quit my job as a business reporter at the San Jose Mercury-News. I was young, cocky and frustrated with writing too many quarterly financial stories and not enough creative features. Oddly, the paper punished my temerity by giving me a promotion — and I spent the next glorious year as an investigative reporter, coming and going as I pleased, chasing down the really big stories.
“Unfortunately, there are only so many big scandals floating under the surface of a place like Silicon Valley at any one time. And so, after a year, I found myself sitting in my 1969 VW bug in the Merc parking lot, holding a cardboard box filled with all of my office possessions.
“I was 27 years old, I had $200 in the world, and zero job prospects. Both my friends and my professional peers thought I was completely out of my mind — and I didn’t necessarily disagree.
“Yet, I somehow survived. Indeed, over the last 25 years, I’ve only had a real job — as editor of Forbes ASAP magazine — for a total of three years. For the rest of the time I have worked at home as a freelancer.
“During those years my wife (she’s a painter, so she hasn’t had a steady job either) and I have lived in a converted chicken coop, bought gas with quarters, and I have driven as much as 75 miles just to pick up a check instead of waiting for it to get mailed.
“But we’ve also been comparatively wealthy, bought houses and property, driven fancy new cars, and traveled the world.”
OLD Media Moves
Life as a freelance journalist
June 8, 2007
Posted by Chris Roush
Michael Malone, a former business writer for the San Jose Mercury News, writes on the ABC News web site about life as a freelance journalist.
Malone wrote, “In 1981, I quit my job as a business reporter at the San Jose Mercury-News. I was young, cocky and frustrated with writing too many quarterly financial stories and not enough creative features. Oddly, the paper punished my temerity by giving me a promotion — and I spent the next glorious year as an investigative reporter, coming and going as I pleased, chasing down the really big stories.
“Unfortunately, there are only so many big scandals floating under the surface of a place like Silicon Valley at any one time. And so, after a year, I found myself sitting in my 1969 VW bug in the Merc parking lot, holding a cardboard box filled with all of my office possessions.
“I was 27 years old, I had $200 in the world, and zero job prospects. Both my friends and my professional peers thought I was completely out of my mind — and I didn’t necessarily disagree.
“Yet, I somehow survived. Indeed, over the last 25 years, I’ve only had a real job — as editor of Forbes ASAP magazine — for a total of three years. For the rest of the time I have worked at home as a freelancer.
“During those years my wife (she’s a painter, so she hasn’t had a steady job either) and I have lived in a converted chicken coop, bought gas with quarters, and I have driven as much as 75 miles just to pick up a check instead of waiting for it to get mailed.
“But we’ve also been comparatively wealthy, bought houses and property, driven fancy new cars, and traveled the world.”
Read more here.
Highlighted News
Swisher to receive Lifetime Achievement Webby
April 23, 2024
Media News
Berke’s cannabis newsletter nearing 15,000 subscribers
April 23, 2024
Highlighted News
Qwoted 100 PR Superstar: Amanda Kruse of UpSpring
April 23, 2024
Media News
Parker named Bloomberg ME of economy/government coverage
April 23, 2024
Media News
Bloomberg’s Cortez moving to Washington
April 23, 2024
Subscribe to TBN
Receive updates about new stories in the industry daily or weekly.