‘We need to give more coverage to lesser-known businesses, chefs, and cuisines’: Food & drink freelance journalist Ali Dunworth

Looking to secure media coverage for your food and drink brand or clients? Freelance journalist Ali Dunworth has 20 years of work experience in the hospitality industry, and has spent the last decade writing freelance for titles such as the Irish Times and Sunday Times Ireland.

Read on for insight from Ali on how the food and drink scene has changed and what journalists in the sector need from PRs now, what the typical day for a freelance journalist looks like and what PRs should be doing (and not doing) when getting in contact.

The life of a freelance writer can be varied, what does a typical day or week look like for you?

It’s different every day but usually, I divide it into two. Mornings are when I’m focused, so I start with a quick walk to wake up and then straight into a few hours of concentrated writing with plenty of cups of tea. In the afternoon, I’m more easily distracted so that’s a time for lists, emails, phone calls and research.

What are the current challenges facing the food & drink industry?

The food and drink scene in Ireland has changed so much over the last few decades, particularly in Dublin, where it has become much more multicultural. However, this diversity is often not reflected in our media and food writing.

Non-European cuisines feel marginalised, they are not featured as prominently in lists or reviews. They are not given the same recognition or written about in the same way as those more familiar to us, and I’ve been guilty of this myself. I do think the tide is turning on this slowly but I believe as food writers, we need to make a concerted effort to broaden our horizons and give more coverage to lesser-known businesses, chefs, and cuisines.

Misinformation is on the rise – what can journalists and PRs do to stop this?

I think a lot of misinformation comes from lazy cut-and-paste situations. Picking up the phone or contacting someone directly via DM to double-check stuff should be the standard, not just replicating information found online.

Which parts of your work can PRs help you with, and how do you prefer for them to contact you?

Email is always preferred. It’s frustrating to get DMs on social media from PRs when my email is linked in my bio, or easy to find with a quick Google. Also, PRs should keep up-to-date on where you are writing. Some still contact me about a website I haven’t written for in years or maybe they don’t know about my Substack.

Ali’s first book ‘A Compendium of Irish Pints’ has been published by Nine Bean Rows.

Connect with Ali, and other UK and international journalists, via the Vuelio Media Database.