Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 31-Jan 6
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:
- Fair contracts for authors [TWUC]
- SABEW’s Best in Business Canada competition [SABEW]
- That was the year that was: a look back at 2015 in Canadian magazines [Canadian Magazines]
- Montreal-based La Presse ends 131 years of daily printed news [Globe and Mail]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- The New Age of Freelancing [Huffington Post]
- HBO Lands ‘Jim’ Documentary About Freelance Journalist Murdered by ISIS [The Wrap]
- VICE reporter Mohammed Rasool released on bail [Poynter]
- How to Write: A Year in Advice from “By Heart” [The Atlantic]
- Technology trends journalists should watch in 2016 [Journalism.co.uk]
- ‘Paper routes for a night’: Boston Globe reporters deliver Sunday’s edition [CNN]
Last week on Story Board:
- Visual and Interactive Storytelling webinar for members: Interested in interactive storytelling? CMG Freelance and CWA Associate Members are invited to a webinar with CBC interactive developers Alisa Mamak and Michael Leschart on Wednesday, January 13th from 4:30 to 5:30 PM ET…
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.
Visual and Interactive Storytelling for Journalists webinar for members
Interested in interactive storytelling? CMG Freelance and CWA Associate Members are invited to a webinar with CBC interactive developers Alisa Mamak and Michael Leschart on Wednesday, January 13th from 4:30 to 5:30 PM ET.
Mamak and Leschart will cover multimedia, data visualization, infographics, social and other online tools that you can use to enhance your stories. The webinar will give you a better understanding of the tools available for interactive storytelling and the ways you can use them to create dynamic and captivating stories online.
This webinar is free for both CWA Associate Members and members of CMG Freelance. If you’re already a member, you can register for the event on this Eventbrite page. You’ll need your membership number… if you’re a new CMG Freelance member and haven’t yet received your membership card, you can contact freelance@cmg.ca to get your number.
If you’re interested in the webinar but can’t participate live, be sure to register anyway — the webinar will be recorded and you’ll be sent a link to play it back later.
CWA Associate Membership is free for students, volunteers and emerging media workers. You can sign up for membership right here.
For information about the price and benefits of CMG Freelance membership check out the CMG Freelance website.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 22-30
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:
- How My Business Ate My Money in 2015 [Rags 2 Reasonable]
- The freedom of freelancing (and other ironies) [Editors Toronto Blog]
- The union you make for the VICE you want [CMG]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Twitter unveils revised rules regarding hate speech in posts [The Guardian]
- 69 Journalists Killed in 2015 [CPJ]
- How to follow-up without being creepy [Freelancers Union]
- How to Be More Productive: 21 Ways to Start the New Year Right [The Write Life]
- How to create a simple 2-page business plan [Freelancers Union]
- 10 (Serious) Tips for Surviving the Freelance Holiday Slump [The Freelancer]
Last week on Story Board:
- The Internet ate my homework (Or: How to save your published web work): When you were a kid in grade school you probably became familiar with the worst excuse ever for losing your homework: the dog ate it. These days, it’s probably not the dog you need to look out for. At some point you’ll likely fall prey to gobbling up of another sort – the swallowing of Internet content, leaving you with a link that takes you to an empty page or error message…
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 Internet ate my homework. (Or: How to save your published web work)
by Lesley Evans Ogden
When you were a kid in grade school you probably became familiar with the worst excuse ever for losing your homework: the dog ate it. These days, it’s probably not the dog you need to look out for. At some point you’ll likely fall prey to gobbling up of another sort – the swallowing of Internet content, leaving you with a link that takes you to an empty page or error message.
So, here’s a seemingly obvious but useful piece of advice for all freelancers, particularly for those just starting out: Save your work!
A number of times recently, as I’ve been applying for fellowships, awards or professional development opportunities, I’ve set about searching for clips of my work published online, only to find that some of those webpages have disappeared. That’s not so much of an issue now that I have a large number of published pieces to draw from. However if you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, a piece of advice: don’t rely on that web content you wrote being available forever on the original web link.
What can you do to ensure that you have a copy of everything you write or produce? There is no one size fits all strategy, and a number of different options to consider.
For text published on the web, here are a few easy ways to save a copy of your post that preserves any graphics and formatting:
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 15-21
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 editor on why they decided to close comments [J-Source]
- PWAC chat recap: How to survive as a freelance writer [PWAC Toronto]
- Toronto Star closes commenting on thestar.com [Toronto Star]
- Why staff at Vice Canada are trying to unionize [J-Source]
- Why we are unionizing at Vice Canada [CMG]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 8 Ways to Strengthen Your Freelance Writing Business Over the Holidays [The Write Life]
- 5 skills you need to ensure your survival in the future of work [Freelancers Union]
- 5 Strategies for Finding Any Editor’s Email [The Freelancer]
- 7 Backhanded Compliments Freelancers are Sick of Hearing [Bustle]
- Another chilling year of killings and attacks on journalists [The Guardian]
Last week on Story Board:
- CMG launches union drive at Vice Canada: Young media workers have no problem understanding the benefits of unionization, say the organizers behind Vice Canada’s union drive…
- The Born Freelancer says all I want for Christmas… is a USB microphone: The working freelancer needs a good, reliable microphone. For radio or podcasting that’s obvious. But even print freelancers should record all interviews in best quality possible…
- “Freelance Isn’t Free” bill aims to improve working conditions for New York freelancers: A New York city councilman introduced a bill last week that would require employers to use written contracts with freelancers and pay their invoices within 30 days…
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.
CMG launches union drive at Vice Canada
Young media workers have no problem understanding the benefits of unionization, say the organizers behind Vice Canada’s union drive.
“Precarity of labour is a fact for most young people,” says Tannara Yelland, a former Vice employee who is currently working as a temporary organizer with the Canadian Media Guild.
“When you work in media, even if you have a permanent full time staff job – which is fairly rare – you still know that you are in an industry that is itself precarious. I think young people are starting to think more about what they can do to improve their work conditions. And there’s a wider awareness now that unions are a good way to do that.”
The CMG (which is the union that funds this blog) has been working with a group of Vice employees for several weeks, helping them take steps towards unionization. On Tuesday, the CMG announced the campaign in a post on their website.
Yelland says the idea of unionizing has mostly been met with enthusiasm by Vice employees.
“For the most part everybody who’s been part of the union effort really enjoys their job and really likes working at Vice,” she says. “But there are always things that can be improved and organizing just allows us to have more of a say in how those things are improved.”
Read the rest of this post »
Freelancers: Having problems at Toronto Star Touch?
Hi, freelancers. If you’ve been submitting articles or photographs to Toronto Star Touch and have been having problems of any kind, please get in touch with us at freelance@cmg.ca.
All communications will be kept strictly confidential.
The Born Freelancer Says All I Want for Christmas… Is a USB Microphone
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? Your input is welcome in the comments.
Tis the season of giving and getting.
So I could not be given a better opportunity to look into what I would really like to get.
Number one on my list of freelancing gear needing an upgrade…
The microphone
The working freelancer needs a good, reliable microphone. For radio or podcasting that’s obvious. But even print freelancers should record all interviews in best quality possible – for accuracy, for clarity and for possible repurposing at a later date.
I can’t begin to count the interviews I have conducted for one medium that ended up being repurposed for another. That I was successfully able to do so was because I had initially recorded in broadcast quality.
I had always been taught to get the best quality microphone I could afford. Garbage in = garbage out, as computer mavens say, so to get the best results coming out you need the best equipment going in. I have always used conventional analog microphones to get the best sound for my buck, and still do so when appropriate. They have always provided me with high quality audio.
I’ve written about my favourites in the past on this site. These were ideal when recording on old-school recorders with analog inputs – or when recording on a laptop with a built in sound card – or when using an external interface between analog mic and laptop USB port. (Note: Analog mics will not work directly with most laptops running digital recording apps unless plugged into an external analog-to-USB converter.)
But today most of my recording is done on a laptop. And there is a new generation of microphones, USB microphones, that plug directly into a laptop without an additional interface device. This seemed to me to be a positive step forward because every extra piece of gear is something else you have to carry that can fail, get broken, stolen or lost.
So I decided to get my first USB microphone.
“Freelance Isn’t Free” bill aims to improve working conditions for New York freelancers
A New York city councilman introduced a bill last week that would require employers to use written contracts with freelancers and pay their invoices within 30 days.
According to an article in the Washington Post, Councilman Brad Lander was inspired to introduce the bill by the Freelancers Union, a U.S. organization that advocates for freelancers. The Freelancers Union has been campaigning under the slogan “Freelance Isn’t Free” this fall in an attempt to draw attention to the problem of nonpayment of freelancers by deadbeat clients. After a recent survey, the organization determined that freelancers in the U.S. lose an average $6,400 a year to wage theft.
In addition to requiring written contracts and 30-day payment terms, the bill, if passed, would allow freelancers to make complaints against nonpaying clients to the Department of Consumer Affairs in New York. If the freelancer litigates against a deadbeat client and wins, the client will be responsible for the legal fees incurred. If found guilty, the client will also be fined double the amount owing to the freelancer. Criminal misdemeanor charges are also possible against employers who “knowingly and willingly engage in the unlawful payment practices set out in the bill.”
In a statement on his website, Councilman Lander said the bill is “first-of-its-kind legislation that would provide freelancers with protection from nonpayment.” New York city council has taken other steps to protect workers recently. Earlier this fall, New York mayor Bill Blasio signed a law creating the Office of Labor Standards to enforce employment laws and educate workers about their rights.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 8-14
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:
- Professional Association Profile: CMG Freelance [The Jenn Report]
- Entries open for National Magazine Awards [Canadian Magazines]
- Social media shakes things up in journalism [J-Source]
- Call for Submissions: 39th annual National Magazine Awards [Magazine Awards]
- News director of two BC radio stations resigns after editorial staff asked to sell ads [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- For freelancers, getting stiffed is part of the job. Some in New York City want to fix it [Washington Post]
- 3 tips for pushing through your backlog [Freelancers Union]
- Full House: How to work at home with kids during the holidays [The Write Life]
- How to Make It as a Travel Writer, According to Four Veteran Freelancers [The Freelancer]
- 25 ways to write better emails [Freelancers Union]
- U.S. wage-theft bill threatens employers with jail, requires contracts for freelancers [Crains]
- Interaction on Twitter enhances journalists’ credibility [American Press Institute]
- Checklist: How to Write a Query Letter That Doesn’t Suck [The Write Life]
Last week on Story Board:
- The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #25 — Frances Bula: Frances Bula knows Vancouver. She covers the city’s wide-ranging urban issues — from drug addiction and prostitution to property development and transportation — for publishers such as the Globe and Mail and Vancouver Magazine…
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.
