Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer August 20-26

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:

• Editor of Your Ward News gets the maximum one year jail for hate promotion [National Newswatch]
• Going viral: Creating contagious content [Robyn Roste]
• Support 140 years of campus journalism -- The Varsity's levy is worth it [The Varsity]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• How to become a freelance writer while you're in college [The Write Life]
• How to respond to unsolicited advice from non-writers [The Writer]
• How Slack communities can help you advance your freelance career [Freelancers Union]
• A year of organizing freelance journalists [Organizing Work]
• 5 unconventional blog promotion tactics to attract more readers [Freelancers Union]
• I was skeptical of unions. Then I joined one [Vox]

Recently on Story Board:

• Tools for freelancers: The right tools can make your freelance business run more smoothly and allow you to spend more time on the creative work that earns you money. Here are a few of the best tools for freelancers we’ve run across lately...

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.