Stringer

A stringer is a part-time or freelance journalist. Stringers typically are assigned to cover areas that are considered less newsworthy or peripheral to the news organization's coverage area, where it has no bureau or full-time reporters. A local newspaper may have stringers in surrounding small towns, whereas major news organizations may have stringers in dozens of countries around the world. Stringers also may be used in areas such as Iraq and Afghanistan that are seen as “trouble spots.”

“Stringing” can be a way for aspiring journalists to get their work into print or on the air and build a portfolio that will help them land a full-time job. New technology such as satellite telephones, digital cameras, and the Internet have made reporting from abroad more feasible for freelancers. A Brookings Institution survey showed stringers in foreign countries can be placed into six categories: spouses (of journalists abroad), experts (about a certain region), adventurers (who aren't tied to an area), “flingers” (who have gone abroad for a short period of time), ideologues (who sympathize with one side in a conflict), and residents. The latter category makes up an increasing number of the journalists reporting for Western news organizations in Iraq. Residents may do more work than their bylines would indicate because they often gather information for full-time correspondents. Some wish not to be named because of fear of reprisals.

Stringers sometimes face great danger. They often lack protections news organizations expend on fulltime reporters, such as flak jackets, bodyguards, or armored cars. They may seek out danger because news organizations will pay much more for dramatic photos or footage. Many resident stringers in Iraq keep their work a secret from friends and family and have faced death threats. They say journalists are sometimes assumed to be spies. In fact, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency revealed in the 1970s that it had had relationships with journalists from most major U.S. news outlets, most often with stringers, although this practice is believed to have declined. But stringers captured in Iraq, by Iraqis or Americans, have sometimes received less support from their employers than full-time correspondents have.

One reason news organizations use stringers is because they are paid much less. News organizations in recent years have been cutting bureaus and fulltime staff to minimize costs. Stringers usually are paid a certain amount per word or inch or copy, or per photo. Because they are independent contractors and may provide the same material to multiple outlets, they often do not receive benefits such as insurance coverage. While stringer pay is low compared to what a correspondent might make, it may be much more than a typical resident correspondent can earn.