Oct 10, 2022
So you want to earn money as a writer? Don't ignore the newspaper industry. In this Florida Writer Podcast, host Alison Nissen chats with newspaper veteran Nafari Morris about pitching to newspaper editors. Newspapers have changed, but they still need great content.
Nafari recommends that you:
- send a well-edited introduction
- mention your experience with the topic/subject
- have a willingness to be flexible
- don't be afraid to show your personality
- PRO-TIP: find the email of a direct contact on places like Twitter
Nafari Morris is a former journalist of 17 years, and now a freelance writer and public relations specialist. She started her journalism career at the Hartford Courant as a copy-editing intern, then joined the copy desk of the Wilmington Star-News. She began her 12-year stint with Trib Total Media in 2001, working on the copy desk for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and other publications, as an assigning editor for the hyper- local weekly newspapers and as a weekly columnist for the Trib. She was an assistant metro editor for The Ledger in Lakeland before leaving the journalism industry.
As a columnist, she earned several awards, including the Robert I. Vann Media Award for Best Column in 2011, second place in the Column category for the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors in 2013, Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association Excellence in Journalism Award for Best Column in 2013, the Association for Women in Communication’s Clarion Award for non-opinion/informative column in 2014 and the Golden Quill Award (Press Club of Western Pennsylvania for best column in 2013 and 2015.
Her work also led to local radio and television interviews, including appearances on Pittsburgh radio stations KDKA AM and WESA FM, along with WQED TV. She participated in a roundtable at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill about the future of local journalism in 2022.
Nafari’s freelance work has led to her work being published in The Washington Post, Adweek, Tennis magazine, Shondaland.com, Leaps magazine, Bello Collective, Belt Magazine, ZORA magazine and other publications. She lives in central Florida with her children, dogs and tennis racquets.