Hi writer friends,
Today we’re talking to Mark Oprea, a freelance writer who’s launching a new publication rooted in the belief that it’s freelancers who can save journalism. Mark started Parachute magazine in the wake of the pandemic with an increasing number of news deserts spreading across the country. Now he’s commissioning climate-themed stories from writers who are willing to go to the places that need them.
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Parachute isn’t about coastal city writers dropping in on small towns to scoop a story and leave. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term “parachute journalism,” it often refers to writers showing up in a place they don’t know to write about something they might not completely understand—but traveling for a story doesn’t have to be that way!) In the following Q&A we dig into how “parachute journalism” can be done right, in ways that benefit both local communities and writers.
Let’s get to it. Writers, meet Mark!
Mark Oprea on How Freelancers Can Save Journalism
Britany: We tend to hear "parachute journalism" as a pejorative. Does it have to be?
Mark: I really don’t think so. The meaning of terms and phrases, as we know these days, can be co-opted over time. Terms that were once ‘pejorative’ are now harmless, and vice versa. Plus, 'parachute journalism’ originated as a phrase used to refer to mostly coastal journalists — i.e. in New York City — who spent a day or two in some unheard of city, then flew back to their 54th story office in downtown Brooklyn. But what if we’re sending in well-trained freelancers from the county over? Then, using that connection to help out newspapers. I’m interested in developing that journalistic triangle.
Can you explain to us how Parachute Magazine came to be and how it will function differently from most online publications?
Mark: The roots of Parachute came in the wake of the pandemic, and its dismantling of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Journalists leaving the PD after decades were wondering whether or not they could even live in Cleveland as a working reporter – all while 30,000 other media workers throughout the country were getting the same boot. Once I saw UNC’s news desert map, I pitched the idea to SJN, and built the site soon after – months before the Washington Post Magazine editors led a similar push, by the way.
What inspired you personally to focus on the issue of news deserts?
The desire to reject the idea that “the only good stories happen in media centers.” That alone.
How can writers ensure they are deploying "parachute journalism" in a positive way? Are there any tips you can offer on properly covering a story when you are not living in the community in which it takes place?
Correct and tasteful parachute journalism is all about spending time efficiently. If a journalist is assigned a profile on a character in Lima, Ohio, their job is to not just sit down with their one source—but rather interview and observe the people and places that are related to or shed light on that person’s character, why they do what they do, etc. Character and place are always interrelated. Sometimes writers think they need to go everywhere to illuminate a place—but that’s wrong. It’s the reporter’s job to choose the few venues to spotlight to prove their story angle.
Your mission advocates for freelancers in a way that I think we often forget to do for ourselves. What are some things you think freelancers should fight for when looking for assignments?
First, good pay. I follow a dozen newsletter call-for-pitches, and I’m constantly sickened by how little some digital publications pay for 1,000 words. They often do this to maximize profits, aiming for quantity over quality. What freelancers need to remember is that their pre-reporting matters, their words can pay in the right home, and that one rejection does not mean your idea is worthless. It may just need workshopping.
You obviously understand how incredibly frustrating it is to be a freelance journalist and even address that in your pitch guide. So what motivates you to stick with it?
Fear mostly. Freelancers think they like it because they’re their own boss. But they’re wrong: their boss is the gas bill.
Tell us about your fellowships with the Kiplinger Program and Solutions Journalism?
Both of my fellowships, at OU and SJN, have been really helpful in validating my belief that us freelancers can find sustainable paths out of COVID’s destruction. At SJN, where I’m working with two dozen other media entrepreneurs, there’s very little panic talk. Instead of, “Journalism is dying, what do we do?”, there is, “Journalism is changing, what can’t we do?” You realize that there are born journalists that need to find that next big revenue model, or way of distributing digital media—they can’t see themselves elsewhere. When you surround yourself with positive, proactive reporters and editors, your doom-and-gloom notion of media wanes. At least until the next round of layoffs make headlines.
What do you think helped you land those two fellowships?
Just like any other job: Put the greatest energy into the positions you know you have almost endless ideas for. That, and read your cover letters aloud.
Speaking of rejections... what has been the toughest rejection you've faced in your journalism career?
The never-ending boilerplate rejections from the New York Times.
What has been your proudest moment or project?
I was once paid $500 to interview a Mexican shaman who believed he descended from the god of an active volcano.
Can you share one tip for finding the kind of story ideas that Parachute might commission?
Besides what’s on the pitch guide, find your main character and his or her conflict. It’s as simple as that.
I think as freelancers, we often feel powerless in the face of this industry that doesn't always treat us very well. But collectively, we do have power. I think you're demonstrating that in this partnership with Solutions Journalism and launching Parachute. How do you think all freelancers can contribute to improving the landscape of journalism for all of us?
Always remember that we can seriously reshape the industry that mistreats us. A reformation of this us vs. them belief will come when some media genius finds the Holy Grail revenue model. It really will be that simple, as any decently tech savvy journalist can create a Wordpress or Substack account, and have their own digital media pub up and running by the weekend.
What do you hope to accomplish with Parachute Magazine in the next year?
To publish a first issue of great journalism. To prove to readers that good stories exist everywhere – you just need to show them.
A big thank you to Mark for sharing his insight! And I highly recommend checking out Parachute for some of the best pitch guidelines I’ve ever seen. Keep an eye out for their first issue.
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Stay inspired,
Britany