Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 28-Mar 6

March 06, 2017 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:

Toronto Star Public Editor: Democracy depends on confidential sources [J-Source]
Off the Page with journalist Simon Diotte [Magazine Awards]
Opinion: Student journalism can help save our news media ecosystem [J-Source]
Canadian Unions for Freelancers: An Introduction [Living Freelance]
Altruism fuels union’s fight for unpaid freelancers [CWA Canada]
Author Deborah Campbell wins Freedom to Read Award [TWUC]
Toronto conference will explore local news woes and solutions [J-Source]

From The U.S. and beyond:

Want to write full time? Get cozy with these 5 financial realities [The Write Life]
Value-based pricing: A smarter way to set freelance writing rates [The Write Life]
10 tools to tackle common problems journalists face [CJR]
Why intersectionality matters for freelancers [Freelancers Union]
Trump Bump Grows Into Subscription Surge [The Street]
3 ways to introduce stability into your freelance life [Freelancers Union]
Here’s why journalists stay in the business [Poynter]
Press freedom organizations are teaming up to start a news site [Poynter]
Writing and Money: An Interview With Scratch Author Manjula Martin [The Write Life]
Why every freelancer should have an “Oh, Sh*t!” fund [Freelancers Union]
Tool for journalists: FotoForensics, for verifying images [Journalism.co.uk]

Recently on Story Board:

New U.K. report highlights the challenges of freelancing: New data confirm that the number of freelance journalists has increased across the UK since 2000 and their pay is lower than the national average...
Freelancers' social night in Vancouver March 7: Vancouver-area freelancers, come out for a freelancers’ social night on Tuesday, March 7th at 6 p.m. at Central City Brewing...

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.

New UK report highlights the challenges of freelancing

March 02, 2017 Editor News e-lancer writesfreelance compensationfreelance lifenational council for the training of journalistsnuj

This post is the eleventh in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers.By Errol SalamonNew data confirm that the number of freelance journalists has increased across the UK since 2000 and…

Freelancers’ social night in Vancouver March 7

February 28, 2017 Editor Event eventfreelance meet-upfreelance mixer

Vancouver-area freelancers, come out for a freelancers’ social night on Tuesday, March 7th at 6 p.m. at Central City Brewing (871 Beatty St). CMG Freelance members and non-members are all welcome. There will be some CMG Freelance swag giveaways and lots of new freelance colleagues to meet. Please RSVP this week to freelance@cmg.ca to let…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 21-27

February 27, 2017 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 journalists can learn a lot from the US media’s Trump coverage [J-Source] Magazine freelancers say Edmonton publisher too slow to pay…

Off the Page, with investigative journalist Virgil Grandfield

February 23, 2017 Editor Journalism freelancer q&anational magazine awardsoff the pagevirgil grandfield

Off the Page is a regular interview series featuring National Magazine Award winners. In this interview we chat with freelance journalist Virgil Grandfield, who won the 2016 National Magazine Award for Investigative Reporting.In his award-winning investigative story “The Cage” (Eighteen Bridges) Virgil Grandfield describes one particular day of…

Alberta Publishing company and CEO Ruth Kelly leave their freelance content creators shivering through the winter – Hire now; pay much, much later

February 22, 2017 Editor News alberta venturecmg freelancefreelance compensationtrouble spotsventure publishing

Edmonton, February 22, 2017 – Venture Publishing Inc. of Edmonton and its CEO Ruth Kelly have developed a disturbing business model when it comes to paying the freelance contributors hired to create articles, photos, and illustrations for the various magazines the company produces, such as Alberta Venture, Alberta Oil, and Heroes on behalf of the…

Webinar: “How To Go Viral Like A Journalist”

February 21, 2017 Editor Event cmg freelancecwa associate memberssocial mediawebinar

Ever wonder how BuzzFeed finds funny, heartwarming, or enraging viral news before everyone else? The next in our series of professional development webinars will look at how to track down content on social media, how to find the best tools that do the work for you, and how to make sure you're not falling for a viral hoax.The webinar "How To Go…

Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb 14-20

February 20, 2017 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 news consumers unaware of financial strain on the industry [J-Source] The Healthy Freelancer: Self-Care for the Self-Employed [PWAC…

J-Source wants you to help create a list of the best places to freelance in Canada

February 17, 2017 Editor News freelance compensationfreelance lifej-sourcenews

Earlier this month, the Columbia Journalism Review ran a great post that surveyed two dozen freelancers about the best outlets to work for. It gives a rundown of six publications that freelancers love, offering specific details about pay and editorial style.Now J-Source editor H.G. Watson wants to create a Canadian version. She put out a call this…

Looking for a coffee shop to work in? Work Hard Anywhere can help

February 16, 2017 Editor News appsfreelance lifework hard anywhere

You probably know the feeling. You're out in the world, laptop in tow, with some time to spare between appointments. Or maybe you're on vacation in an unfamiliar city and need a quiet spot where you can get a bit of work done -- preferably somewhere with fast wifi, accessible power outlets and good coffee. But if you don't know the neighbourhood,…