Why we partner with journalist.net to protect freelance news teams

That is the world in which journalist.net operates. It is the largest verified network of news professionals in the world, connecting media organisations with over 10,000 vetted journalists and media specialists across more than 180 countries.

It is also one of our closest partners. When you commission through journalist.net, the people you hire are automatically protected by our specialist insurance for media professionals. Your producers gain a fast way to book talent. Your safety and HR teams gain built in cover for the freelancers you rely on.

Who journalist.net are

journalist.net began life in 2015 as Paydesk with around 400 journalists on the platform. The idea was simple. Give newsrooms a fast, reliable way to find and pay trusted freelancers, while treating those freelancers fairly.

Over the last decade it has grown into a global network of more than 10,000 verified news professionals in over 180 countries. They include:

 
• Reporters, correspondents and writers
 
• Camera operators, photojournalists and drone pilots
 
• Producers, fixers and local coordinators
 
• Audio and podcast specialists

In 2025 the platform relaunched as journalist.net to reflect a broader vision. Not just a marketplace, but a home for the global journalism community.

It is still run by a small international team based in London, but its reach is worldwide. If your story needs a trusted professional on the ground, there is a good chance they are already on journalist.net.

Find out more about the journalist.net story

Who uses journalist.net

journalist.net serves a wide range of clients. Typical users include:

 
• Global TV and radio broadcasters
 
• National and regional newsrooms
 
• Digital publishers and podcasts
 
• Documentary and film production companies
 
• NGOs and media development organisations
 
• Universities, think tanks and public bodies

More than 1,000 organisations have used the platform to book on the ground talent. Some rely on it for breaking news in places where they do not have bureaux. Others use it to build longer term relationships with local reporters, producers and camera crews.

For freelancers, journalist.net offers something equally important. A way to connect with serious clients, with proper contracts, fair pay and built in protection.

What journalist.net does for newsrooms

At its heart, journalist.net solves three problems for editors and producers.

1. Finding trusted people, fast

journalist.net gives you instant access to a large directory of verified professionals. You can search by location, skills and topics, then review profiles, work samples and references before you book.

Whether you need a live reporter in a capital city, a photojournalist in a remote region or a fixer who knows the local landscape, the aim is the same. Trusted people, ready to work, without starting from zero each time.

2. Commissioning and payments in one place

The platform helps you brief, book and pay freelancers in a single workflow. It handles onboarding, contracts, compliance checks and global payments.

Finance teams benefit from:

 
• Consolidated invoices instead of multiple one off payments
 
• Budget controls and expense tracking
 
• Reduced admin around tax, compliance and banking details

See how global payments work on journalist.net

3. Compliance and risk off your desk

journalist.net verifies the identity and credentials of the professionals on the platform. It offers tools for approvals, cost control and audit trails. It gives you a single place to see who you have commissioned, where, and for what.

That is good for accountability. It is also good for safety. You do not want to be guessing who is on your books when a situation deteriorates.

Key services you can tap into

journalist.net offers a number of solutions that match common newsroom needs. A few highlights:

Global access and payments

If your editors and producers commission across multiple regions, the global access and payments tools are likely to be the starting point. You can onboard your existing freelancers, discover new ones and pay everyone through one system.

This keeps your creative teams focused on content, not chasing invoices. It also gives finance and legal teams a clear view of where money is going and who is working for you.

Explore journalist.net global payments

Investigative projects and networks

Investigative work often needs local knowledge, cross border collaboration and deep subject expertise. journalist.net supports this by bringing together reporters with specific beats and regional experience.

For longer projects you can build teams across several countries, while keeping commissioning and payments in one place. Our insurance sits behind that, supporting work that may involve higher risk environments or sensitive topics.

See how journalist.net supports investigative journalism

Media development and training

Media development organisations use journalist.net to find local trainers, mentors and reporters. It helps donors and NGOs support independent media without having to build every relationship themselves.

Assignment based insurance cover, powered by our specialist policies, gives an added layer of duty of care for people delivering workshops, mentoring or reporting in challenging settings.

Learn more about media development support

Media monitoring and analysis

journalist.net also offers media monitoring, using local journalists to track narratives, misinformation and developments in real time. This is useful for newsrooms, brands and NGOs trying to understand how a story plays out beyond headline feeds.

Find out about media monitoring services

How journalist.net supports freelancers

For freelancers, journalist.net is more than a jobs board. It is a system that helps them work with serious clients under clearer conditions.

Key benefits include:

 
• Verification that signals professionalism to potential clients
 
• Reliable, timely payments in their local currency
 
• Access to assignments with broadcasters, publishers and NGOs worldwide
 
• Built in insurance cover for work booked through the platform

That last point matters. Many freelancers work in places or on stories where mainstream insurance is not available or has major exclusions. When commissions come through journalist.net, they are not left carrying all of that risk alone.

See how journalist.net works for freelancers

Where our insurance comes in

From the start, our focus at insuranceforthemedia.com has been simple. Protect journalists, fixers and media teams working in difficult environments, especially in places where mainstream policies exclude war, terrorism or civil unrest.

journalist.net shares that concern. That is why assignments booked through their platform include worldwide insurance cover, including higher risk regions, as standard.

That cover is powered by our “Insurance for” products. We designed them specifically for:

 
• Journalists and camera crews on assignment
 
• Local fixers, producers and drivers supporting international teams
 
• Freelancers who move between newsrooms and projects

When you work through journalist.net, you are not bolting on cover at the last minute. It is built into the way assignments are structured and managed.

How automatic cover works when you use journalist.net

The process for editors and producers is straightforward.

 
1. You brief and commission a journalist, crew or fixer through journalist.net.
 
2. The assignment is confirmed within the platform, including dates and locations.
 
3. For that assignment, the professionals you book are automatically protected under our specialist insurance.

You do not need to arrange a separate policy for each freelance booking. Your safety, HR and legal teams can be confident that there is a documented, consistent standard of cover for people you hire via journalist.net.

For larger deployments, recurring projects or complex risk profiles, we can work with you and journalist.net to align cover across staff, core freelancers and regular fixers, so your whole operation sits under a joined up approach.

What this partnership means for your duty of care

Duty of care is no longer a soft topic. It is a central part of how responsible newsrooms operate. When something goes wrong in a hostile or fragile environment, the questions start quickly. Who authorised the trip. What training was given. What cover was in place.

Working with journalist.net and insuranceforthemedia.com together helps you answer those questions with more confidence.

 
• You gain a trusted route to verified, on the ground professionals
 
• You gain a clear, documented system for commissioning and payment
 
• You gain built in specialist insurance for assignments booked through the platform

That does not remove the need for risk assessments, safety training and editorial judgement. It does mean that freelancers and local crews are not an afterthought in your protection plans.

Practical examples of how it works

A few typical scenarios help bring this to life.

Breaking news in a conflict zone

A story breaks in a country where you have no bureau. You need credible local eyes and ears on the ground.

Your producers log in to journalist.net, search for experienced local reporters and camera crews, then commission through the platform. Our insurance sits behind those assignments, giving your safety team more confidence in signing off the coverage.

Cross border investigative series

You are planning an investigative project that spans several countries. You need reporters who know their communities and can work on sensitive topics.

Using journalist.net, you build a team of local journalists across the relevant regions. Their work is commissioned, contracted and paid through one system, with our cover supporting the field side of the project.

Partnering with an NGO on a documentary

You are co producing a documentary with an NGO in a high risk environment. You need to bring in local producers and fixers.

journalist.net helps you find the right partners on the ground. The partnership with us means those people are brought into a clear insurance framework, rather than left reliant on patchy arrangements.

How to get started with journalist.net and our cover

If you already use journalist.net, your freelance bookings through the platform are already benefiting from our specialist insurance. If you are new to it, getting started is simple.

 
• Editors and producers can visit journalist.net, create a client account and explore the network.
 
• Safety, HR and legal teams can speak to us at insuranceforthemedia.com about how this partnership fits into your wider duty of care framework.

If you want to go further, we can help you extend the same level of protection to your staff, regular freelancers and fixers who work outside the platform, so everyone who represents your brand in hostile or fragile environments is properly considered.

Supporting the people who tell the world’s stories

Freelancers, fixers and local crews make modern journalism possible. They are often first in, last out and closest to the communities you are trying to cover.

Our partnership with journalist.net is about making it easier for you to treat them with the professionalism they deserve. Clear commissioning. Reliable payment. Built in protection.

If you would like to check how this could work for your next assignment or series, talk to us. Together with journalist.net we can help you find the right people and protect them properly while they do their work.