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: 

• National Magazine Awards and Magazine Grands Prix to merge [J-Source]
• The National Media Awards Foundation and Magazines Canada have merged their awards programs [Canadian Magazines]
• Critic says new Globe and Mail freelance contract isn't fair for writers [J-Source]
• Applications open for the Fellowship for Aboriginal Investigative Journalism [J-Source]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• The risk of billionaire funded media, the importance of archiving and other takeaways from the demise of DNAinfo and Gothamist [Nieman Lab]
• How a stay-at-home dad found success as a freelancer [Freelancers Union]
• DNAinfo and Gothamist Are Shut Down After Vote to Unionize [New York Times]
• Go into freelancing armed with the resources you need to succeed [Poynter]
• How one freelancer balances passion and job security [Freelancers Union]
• Office hours with Melissa Hendricks [Open Notebook]

Recently on Story Board:

• Freelance Specific Services Contracts -- Good Value or Possible Minefield?: Last month I went over the nuts and bolts of CBC’s Freelance Contributor Contracts. But CBC also uses other kinds of contracts with freelancers. One of those is the Freelance Specific Services contract. For a type of contract that often gets used by the CBC to hire freelancers, it sure doesn’t say much about it in the collective agreement with the Canadian Media Guild...
• New Globe and Mail freelance contract isn’t fair to writers, says critic: The Globe and Mail has received criticism for a revamped freelance contract that one critic says doesn’t treat authors fairly. Content Writers Group — formerly known as the Canadian Writers Group — founder Derek Finkle said the provisions in the Globe’s “amended and restated” freelance contract take away rights freelancers previously retained, with no extra compensation in sight...

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.