As an experienced journalist, I’ve been issued general press passes before, sometimes called press badges, press cards or a journalist pass. These press passes are issued by magazines to help me cover news, events and noteworthy people, and then write about it in print and digital articles.
But for the first time in my career, I’ve been issued credentials from the International Federation of Journalists headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and founded in 1926. This is “an instantly and internationally recognizable professional identification from the world’s oldest and most reputable identification for working journalists across the globe.”
The International Press Card (IPC) is recognized the world over and is the only press pass endorsed by national journalists’ organizations in more than 130 countries. The IPC is ONLY available to members of IFJ-affiliated national journalists’ organizations.
https://www.ifj.org/press-card.html
Experienced Journalist Affiliation
I received my international press card through the IFL-associated national journalist’s organization, the Authors Guild in New York. What a fantastic consortium of authors, writers and journalists of all disciplines. It provides staff attorneys who help members with issues affecting the writing world and their careers.
Best of all, the Authors Guild has a forum where fellow writers can ask questions, weigh in, and interact with other members. It’s an extremely collegiate organization and also offers professional development and opportunities — such as an application process for the IFJ press card.
Yes, I had to apply for the press pass and demonstrate my experience and background. Imagine my joy when I received my press credential in the mail, all the way from Europe.
How Journalistic Writing Spans Other Types of Writing Disciplines
Working in the competitive atmosphere of magazines and newspapers certainly hones one’s skills. Journalistic experience also helps in the realm of book editing and ghostwriting. I’ve been fortunate to edit books for colleagues who work in media — it’s common to hire an extra set of impartial eyes before launching a book.
For instance, Chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley’s Swabbed and Found was a great editing project that took me on a closed–adoption journey. Incredibly, Frank made the complex science of DNA and centimorgans fun to read.
Nadine Sands is a popular Canadian blogger and author of High & Wide: When Grief and Love Collide. This editing project was profound because it dealt with loss through ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Contact Me for All Your Writing Projects
I love to collaborate with authors regardless of the size of their projects. From sweeping memoirs to business blogs, I’m here for you.
Email me at melaniesaxton@icloud.com and let’s get started!