What does legman mean?
A legman is a freelance journalist who reports stories for a newspaper or other publication without holding a regular staff position, usually receiving payment for each article submitted. In earlier commercial and newspaper usage, a legman could more broadly mean an employee or agent sent from the main office to gather information, deliver messages, or perform errands. The word is chiefly associated with British English, although it is also recorded in American English. Its journalistic sense is closely related to “stringer,” a contemporary term for a freelance or part-time contributor. Although the expression can still convey the atmosphere of traditional newspaper reporting, it is somewhat dated in everyday professional usage, when “freelance reporter” may sound more natural. The term remains useful because it identifies a specific working relationship: a journalist attached to no permanent newsroom, who supplies stories according to need rather than following a regular staff schedule.
nounA newspaper journalist who works freelance, filing individual stories for payment rather than holding a regular staff position. The term can also refer historically to an employee or agent sent to gather information, deliver messages, or perform other errands away from the main office.
- A freelance journalist who supplies stories to a newspaper or other publication, typically for payment per article.
- Historically, an employee or agent sent by a business or newspaper to collect information, carry messages, or perform errands away from the main office.
"She worked as a legman, filing reports from regional news events for several national newspapers."
"The newspaper hired legmen in several European cities to cover local events and send back reports."
"He once worked as a legman for a shipping firm, collecting payments and documents from customers."
The standard plural changes the vowel sound of the singular and is pronounced to rhyme with “men.”
"The editors commissioned two legmen to cover the election."
In the age of telegraph wires, a legman could turn a distant dispatch into a newspaper headline—and get paid by the story.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does legman come from?
Legman is an English compound formed from leg and man. Early usage described an employee sent out on foot to run errands or collect information. By the late nineteenth century, the term was firmly established in journalism for a reporter who traveled to different places, gathered news, and filed reports, sometimes from remote locations.
Related word forms
How legman is actually used
The traditional journalistic sense is chiefly British and now sounds dated in some settings, especially when “freelance reporter” or “stringer” would be more natural. The broader sense of an employee sent out on errands is largely historical.
Easily confused with legman
A legman is a freelance journalist or an agent sent to gather information, whereas a layman is a person without specialist professional or technical knowledge.