Should I Work For Free?

March 14, 2013 Editor Bit of fun getting paid

There's been a lot of talk this month about whether -- and under what circumstances -- a freelancer should agree to work for free. The online debate was sparked by journalist Nate Thayer's blog post about being asked to repurpose a previously-published article for use by the Atlantic... without any compensation. It seemed as though everyone was talking about freelancers' paycheques for a few days. And there was no shortage of opinions.

Last week we tweeted about this handy flow chart by San Francisco freelance letterer and illustrator Jessica Hische. It's called "Should I Work For Free?" and you can buy yourself a beautiful 5-colour, 25" by 15" letterpress print of it to hang above your desk. It's pretty funny. And it's a useful reminder that, unless it's your mom asking, you should give the matter some serious consideration before agreeing to give away your valuable time and talents.

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer March 5-11

March 11, 2013 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: Ryerson Review of Journalism cutting down to single annual issue effective immediately [J-Source] Layoffs, outsourcing and a byline strike: A…

Intellectual property lawyer responds to TC Media agreement

March 08, 2013 Editor Journalism copyrightfreelance contractstc mediatranscontinental mediatrouble spots

The new Transcontinental Media contributor agreement has raised a furor among freelancers over the past few weeks. TC Media, which publishes a variety of magazines including Canadian Living, Elle Canada, and The Hockey News, has increased the copyright demands in its new agreement and requires contributors to waive their moral rights.This week…

Tips on freelancing abroad from NASH 75

March 07, 2013 Editor Advice advicecupfreelancing abroadnashpitching

by H.G. WatsonEveryone has the image in their head of the glamorous foreign correspondent, working out of busy bureau and going for after work drinks at a smoke filled expat club. But as international news agencies close or make deep cuts to their international bureaus, working internationally has become more difficult for Canadians.But for…

An Open Letter to Transcontinental by Jay Teitel

March 04, 2013 Editor Journalism copyrightfreelance contractsjay teiteltc mediatranscontinental mediatrouble spots

Dear Transcontinental Media:In the past decade or so online theft of intellectual property has become not just a problem, but a cause celebre, with a lot of people who should know better claiming that all information belongs to everyone, gratis, and that appropriating a piece of writing a professional writer has executed, and then reproducing it…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer February 26 - March 4

March 04, 2013 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: Freelancers outraged at contract imposed by publisher of Elle, Canadian Living mags [CNW] TC Media defence of new contributors' agreement…

Transcontinental Media responds

March 01, 2013 Editor Journalism copyrightfreelance contractstc mediatranscontinental mediatrouble spots

Last month we told you about the new Transcontinental Media contributor agreement, an agreement that demands full copyright from freelancers as well as a waiver of moral rights.Story Board requested an interview with TC Media Senior Vice President Pierre Marcoux to ask about the reasons behind the changes to their agreement. We were granted an…

From the Toronto Star to Transcon…freelancers unite!

February 27, 2013 Editor Event ann douglaseventsfreelance contractstoronto startranscontinental mediatrouble spots

Yesterday, magazine writer and author Ann Douglas wrote a post for Story Board explaining why she quit her column for the Toronto Star. The tremendous response to her post – in the blog comments, on Facebook and on Twitter – proves how fed up freelancers are with the unfair contracts being imposed by publishers. Yes, publishers are struggling…

Why I Am No Longer Writing The Column I Loved for The Toronto Star

February 26, 2013 Editor Journalism ann douglasfreelance contractstoronto startrouble spots

By Ann DouglasThree weeks ago, I was confronted with one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in my career as a freelance writer: sign a highly objectionable freelance writing agreement or stop writing a column I loved.In mid-February, I was presented with a copy of The Toronto Star’s freelance agreement—an agreement that, among…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer February 19-25

February 25, 2013 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: Leonard Asper speaks about the demise of Canwest [J-Source] We wanted to believe in OpenFile's community journalism - but the dream is…