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 local journalism in budget [Toronto Star]
HuffPost Canada keeps unpaid bloggers after U.S. counterpart moves to paid opinion sections [J-Source]
Why the Toronto Star internship program was so unique [Toronto Star]
94 per cent of Canadians believe journalism is important to democracy, poll finds [Toronto Star]
Canadian journalists see 17 percent jump in public trust [J-Source]

From The U.S. and beyond:

Do you need to re-energize your 2018 Resolutions? [Freelancers Union]
How much should I charge? Pricing tips from an experienced creative freelancer [Work Is Changing]
How to quote prospective clients as a freelancer [Freelancers Union]
Mic Editorial Employees Join the NewsGuild of New York [Newsguild of New York]

Recently on Story Board:

The Born Freelancer on Role Models - In Appreciation of Arthur Black: I believe the freelancer you evolve into as your career progresses will very much be influenced by those you encounter early in your professional life...
Why should freelancers have a blog?: Should freelancers have a blog? Is there any value in blogging these days? These are the questions. We’ve all heard we should blog, but there isn’t a lot of talk about why we should or what we should blog about...

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.

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…

National Writers Union settles freelance non-payment grievance

February 05, 2018 Editor News national writers unionnautilusnwusuccess stories

The National Writers Union settled a grievance last week on behalf of twenty freelancers who are owed money by the American science magazine Nautilus.The NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance writers, published an open letter to Nautilus in December stating that the magazine was in breach of multiple contracts and owed a collective…

Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Jan 30-Feb 5

February 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: Times Colonist cuts four staff just weeks after call for voluntary resignations [J-Source] Journalists’ attitudes towards activism are shifting.…

New tool for seeking diverse journalism sources

February 02, 2018 Editor Journalism advicediversityjournalism

Freelance writers and journalists looking for ways to bring diversity into their reporting have a new tool at their disposal.Request A Woman Scientist helps journalists find scientific expertise from women for everything from interviews and panel discussions to workshops and conference keynotes.The site was created by 500 Women Scientists, a…