The Role of Stringers in Journalism

In journalism, a stringer is a freelance journalist or reporter who contributes to a news organization on a regular basis, but is not employed by the organization full-time. Stringers are often used to cover local events or to provide additional coverage of national stories when a news organization does not have enough staff to send a full-time correspondent.

Stringers may work for multiple news organizations and may be responsible for gathering information, conducting interviews, and writing articles or producing video content. They may also be responsible for editing their own work before submitting it to the news organization they are working with.

The term "stringer" comes from the idea that these freelance journalists are like "strings" that can be pulled out and used as needed to supplement a news organization's coverage. Stringers are often paid on a per-story or per-article basis, rather than being salaried employees.