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How a freelancer pitched a story on a controversial condition to Undark
Jyoti Madhusoodanan’s Feb. 24, 2026, story in Undark. Screenshot captured April 14, 2026. Jyoti Madhusoodanan, a freelance science and health journalist in Portland, Ore., had been curious about Morgellon’s disease ever since coming across it while studying microbiology in graduate school. The condition — which causes intensely uncomfortable sensations like crawling, burning or stinging under…
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Get credentialed with AHCJ’s first certification course
Anyone who has ever been a reporter knows what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of the pool without a swimming lesson. You get the assignment and you learn on the job. With support from the National Institute of Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation, AHCJ has produced a three-webinar series that can help you…
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How to pitch editors right now
During AHCJ’s March Lunch and Learn, freelance members swapped tips about a perpetually charged topic: pitching. Some writers like me enjoy coming up with my own ideas. It satisfies my creative muscle and gives me a better chance of writing the types of stories I’m actually interested in — and others avoid it. It’s true:…
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Tips for pitching the New York Times, Wired and Consumer Reports
Pitching: If you’re a freelancer, chances are you either love it or hate it. I’m in the former camp. My brain (and Google docs and notes app) are awash with story ideas, and I get energized by the chance to crystalize them into compelling pitches and — if I’m lucky and do that well —…
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7 tools and tips for getting — and staying — organized as a freelancer
My organizational strategies as a freelancer are not particularly modern or meticulous. I just list all of my assignments — including their fees and deadlines — in a Google spreadsheet. I keep a messy, running list of story ideas in a Google doc, and file all rejected or ignored pitches in yet another Google doc,…
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From PitchFest to publication: How a freelancer landed a Guardian feature on super-recognizers
Each year at The Association of Health Care Journalists’ annual conference, freelancers clamor for slots in PitchFest, an energizing afternoon that allows writers to pitch their story ideas to editors face-to-face. The speed-dating-style event is an increasingly rare opportunity for independent journalists to meet editors in real life — and it pays off. Last year,…
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