So I started as a freelance news photographer in the early 70s when I got out of high school and I was in college. Always had police monitors as a kid and at that time Crystal control scanners.
Long story short ended up working for a large seven-day-a-week newspaper full time as a staff photographer, also ended up working as a reporter. Became a department editor and in addition to other duties I was in charge of our photo department. Inner City in New Jersey.
Retired now, we would have freelance photographers bringing photos all the time. I had a budget to pay Freelancers. Sometimes we would get just a great photo and we would publish it.
I always said with photography, you either have it or you don't. I had professional photojournalists with master's degrees that were mediocre at best and I had 17 year old kids with a student camera that were world-class.
Most of my freelance budget went to covering Sports like high school baseball or something. We got spot news all day long. There's bad car wrecks everyday, all day. Now if an SUV is overturned and there's a baby strapped in the car seat upside down and safe and you happen to catch that photo before the baby is removed, that's a winner.
As newspapers get phased out and there's less and less room, we had to budget space more carefully. We also had staff photos to fit in. Kind of edged Freelancers out unless again, they would do that Friday Night Football game.
I assume you guys are talking TV video. Maybe you're talking about still photography.
Experience and skill is what makes you stand out over the average cell phone Warrior. Try to establish a relationship with the Associated Press, keep your website and YouTube channel going with good stuff whether it's published or not, also, have those professional business cards, give them to the cops and get your name on the police report as a witness with photos. Lawyers pay good money for that kind of photography.
Make sure you're a paying member of the National Press Photographers Association and get their ID. Those are the kind of things I looked for with a freelancer.
Stay at it and market yourself.