Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?

From Canada:

• Small towns need investigative journalism too [Discourse]

  Morale described as 'grim' at Globe and Mail newsroom in lead-up to voluntary buyout offer [J-Source]
• Here are the winners of the 2018 CAJ awards [J-Source]
• Short list announced for the 2018 Danuta Gleed Literary Award [TWUC]
• Local news snapshot finds journalists split on their future [J-Source]
• Globe And Mail To Offer Buyouts, Aims To Cut $10 Million From Operating Budget [Canadaland]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• How Freelancers Can Avoid Wasting Time Between Jobs [The Freelancer]
• The Challenge of Defining Success as a Freelancer [Medium]
• Tip: When to use recording devices [Journalism.co.uk]
• Navigating newsrooms as a minority [Open Notebook]
• Why freelancers must track their own wins and celebrate their successes [Freelancers Union]
• “Unions should push for the rights of all workers, including freelancers” [Equal Times]
• I’m An Editor And Here’s What I Want From Your Freelance Pitch [Journo Resources]

Recently on Story Board:

• On Cue: Switching from print to podcast? It may not be as big a stretch as you think: Before, I thought print journalists began podcasting because of disruptions in legacy media. Now, I think the desire to create a community with a story is what often fuels such a move – and I’ve realized print and audio have more in common than I thought...

Spot a story you think we should include in next week's Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.