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: 

• Postmedia records loss as ad revenue continues to drop [Globe and Mail]
• Globe and Mail unionized workers approve new contract [Globe and Mail]
• Deal at Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper may avert strike [Reuters]
• Globe and Mail union reaches deal [Poynter] 

 

From the U.S. and beyond:

• 6 Tips To Make Freelancing Pay Off [Venture Beat] (via @freelance_hacks)
• The Strange Ways Famous Writers Beat Writer’s Block [Contently]
• 12 social media tools for journalists [Journalism.co.uk] 
• 7 free platforms for journalists to learn how to code [Journalism.co.uk] (via @journochat)
• Authors' incomes collapse to 'abject' levels [The Guardian] (via @twuc)
• Beacon Reader’s crowdfunding platform now lets supporters fund topics as well as journalists [GigaOM]
• Independents united! 81% of freelancers refer work to each other [Freelancers Union]
• Journalism Enrollments Fell Two Years in a Row. Is it the Start of a Downward Trend? [AJR] (via @Mediagazer)
• The 5 Most Annoying Things Freelancers Deal With [Contently]
• 1000+ freelancers on how to live the freelance life [Freelancers Union]
• 88% of freelancers wouldn't accept full time jobs and other takeaways from Freelancers Union report [Contently]

 

Last week on Story Board:

• The Born Freelancer on the Merits of Unplugging: This blog’s recent hiatus reminded me of the importance (to me anyway) of occasionally unplugging from the internet in order to properly recharge. Some of you may find this a completely heretical suggestion to make. To you, I offer no apologies but understanding of your addiction. It afflicted me once too...
• Freelancer Stephen Leahy on crowdfunding his environmental journalism: Stephen Leahy was at a conservation conference in Mexico five years ago when the dire state of freelance journalism became clear to him. After the event, he spoke with several other freelancers, all of whom had received travel awards to attend the event. Most of them had not been able to sell a single story about the conference...

 

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.