Workshop on the rights of media workers

November 19, 2014 Editor Event

Next Wednesday, CWA Canada is holding a free two-hour workshop to share information for media workers about basic employment rights.

The event, scheduled for Wednesday November 26th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at The Foundry in Toronto, is open to all media workers and will provide information about the rights of freelancers, interns and other types of media work. Snacks will be served.

Reserve your ticket and find more information about the event and the venue here.

And to learn about CWA Canada's associate membership program for students, volunteers and precarious media workers, click here.

The Born Freelancer on Being a “Real” Freelancer

November 18, 2014 Editor Advice adviceborn freelancerfreelance life

This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? Your input is welcome in the comments. I was talking to a freelance colleague of mine recently who was being dismissive of a fellow freelancer: "Pffft! He isn't a real freelancer;…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Nov 11-17

November 17, 2014 Editor News newsoff the wire

Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler? From Canada: Thousands march in support of CBC and Radio-Canada [CBC] CBC/Radio Canada in danger of disappearing forever [Toronto Star] Shameless…

Unpaid Pan Am Games writing jobs raise ire

November 13, 2014 Editor News freelance compensationpan am gamestrouble spotsunpaid writing

[caption id="attachment_9518" align="alignright" width="265"] The altered version of the Pan Am Games' ad for unpaid feature writers.[/caption]Last Thursday, Toronto freelance writer and investigative journalist Andrew Livingstone ran across a job ad posted by the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.The ad was seeking five writers to produce feature…

Motivation and its evil twin: procrastination

November 12, 2014 Editor Advice advicetime management

[caption id="attachment_9494" align="alignright" width="360"] graphic and background image by Lesley Evans Ogden[/caption]by Lesley Evans Ogden To make a go of it as a freelancer, an abundance of motivation is crucial. But as we all know and hate, motivation doesn't come in steady waves. It tends to ebb and flow over time, sometimes waning…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Nov 4-10

November 10, 2014 Editor News newsoff the wire

Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler? From Canada: Can you afford to be a writer? [Toronto Star] (via @twuc) Legacy of a Legend [RRJ] (via @timfalconer) CBC executive calls Ghomeshi…

A Twitterstorm about unpaid writing… Storified

November 07, 2014 Editor News trouble spotsunpaid writing

[View the story "Journalists react to Pan Am Games' ad for volunteer feature writers" on Storify]

The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #18 — Andrew Braithwaite

November 06, 2014 Editor Advice 5-minute freelanceradvicefreelance lifefreelancer q&a

In this regular feature, Story Board asks Canadian writers to share a few details about their work habits and their strategies for navigating the ups and downs of freelance life. Andrew Braithwaite is a Canadian-born writer currently living in San Francisco. He's written about food and wine, architecture, travel and culture for such…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Oct 29-Nov 3

November 03, 2014 Editor News newsoff the wire

Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler? From Canada: What happened inside Parliament Hill during the shooting: Q&A with Justin Ling [J-Source] An interview with Jesse Brown, the crowdfunded…

Mixer for emerging media workers November 12th

October 29, 2014 Editor Event eventmedia mixer

Students and emerging media workers in Toronto: mark your calendars. CWA Canada is holding a free event on November 12th at 6 PM at The Foundery (376 Bathurst St, just north of Dundas St W). The media mixer will shine a spotlight on issues such as finding meaningful work, unpaid internships and diversity in the media. The event will feature a…