Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 27-March 5

March 05, 2018 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:

Government prolongs the agony for newspapers... just a bit [J-Source]
Budget media provisions disappointing, industry says [Globe and Mail]
Andrew Cash: Public policy must create standards for independent workers [Vancouver Sun]
Journalists must change with the times when covering disability issues, advocates urge [J-Source]

From The U.S. and beyond:

Edit tests are out of control, say journalists in search of jobs [CJR]
13 Common, Clunky Sentence Structures That Weaken Your Writing [The Write Life]
Freelancers win a victory with #EbonyOwes [Freelancers Union]
When Do Freelance Writers Need to Think About Setting Up Their Own Website? [Freelance Writing Jobs]
Canada pledges $50 million to local journalism. Will it help? [CJR]
How photojournalism can survive the digital revolution (and your short attention span) [Nieman Lab]
The Difficult Truth About Writing When You Have Kids [The Write Life]
4 Questions Freelancers Should Ask Before Accepting Their Next Gig [The Freelancer]
NWU Reaches Final Settlement Agreement with Ebony [National Writers Union]
Navigating Conflicts of Interest [The Open Notebook]
On the Move: Tips for Freelancers Without a Permanent Workspace [Freelancers Union]

Recently on Story Board:

Thriving in the brave new world of work: “The future of work” has become a hot topic for lectures and conferences, the most recent of which is Brave New Work, Simon Fraser University’s 2018 community summit, currently underway in Vancouver...
Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine: The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work...

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.

Thriving in the brave new world of work

March 01, 2018 Editor News brave new workfreelance lifesfu public square

[caption id="attachment_14491" align="alignright" width="267"] Van Jones and Anne-Marie Slaughter at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre[/caption]Freelancers -- with our flexible working hours, multiple income streams and oft-precarious employment status -- probably understand better than most people how the world of work has changed over the past…

Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine

February 27, 2018 Editor News #ebonyowesfreelance compensationnational writers unionnon-paymentsuccess stories

The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work.The union reported today on its website that the settlement means 45 freelance writers, editors and designers will get paid the $80,000 they are collectively owed by the magazine.The NWU, an American trade union…

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

February 26, 2018 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: Canadian authors respond to unprecedented legal attack from provincial education ministers and schools [TWUC] Ottawa to pledge $50 million for…

The Born Freelancer on Role Models: In Appreciation of Arthur Black

February 23, 2018 Editor Journalism arthur blackborn freelancer

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? We'd love to hear from you in the comments. I believe the freelancer you evolve into as your career progresses will very much be influenced by those you encounter early in your…

Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 13-19

February 19, 2018 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: Global News cuts staff across Canada as they undertake reorganization [J-Source] Torstar cuts jobs, internship programs; board chair says the…

2018 Public Lending Right Program registration open February 15 to May 1

February 15, 2018 Editor News advicefreelance compensationplrpublic lending right program

Canadian authors, illustrators and photographers with published books should invest some time over the next few weeks to register for the Public Lending Right Program. The program is a Canada Council for the Arts program that distributes payments to Canadian creators in compensation for the lending out of their books through Canadian public…

Urban Worker Project Skillshare in Vancouver March 1

February 14, 2018 Editor Event eventfreelance contractsfreelance financesskillshareurban worker project

Vancouver freelancers and independent creative workers, mark your calendars for an Urban Worker Project Skillshare on March 1.This day-long event will feature workshops and roundtables that will help independent workers develop the skills they need to build successful businesses and thrive in the changing world of work.The Skillshare is scheduled…

Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 6-12

February 12, 2018 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: Applications open for 2018 Magazines Canada Fellowship Program [Magazines Canada] Top Five Ways to Spot Fake News [J-Source] Discourse Media is…

Story Board joins National NewsMedia Council

February 08, 2018 Editor News national newsmedia council

Story Board is now a member of the National NewsMedia Council. The NNC is Canada's national press council. It was established in 2015 to promote ethical practices within the news media as well as to review and adjudicate complaints from the public.Most of the English-language daily and community papers in Canada belong to the NNC, as do a number…