Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Sept 10-16
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- A Platform to Encourage and Protect Canadian Creativity [TWUC]
- Inside the Vancouver Sun after Anti-Immigrant Op-ed Debacle [The Tyee]
- Disinformation agents will target Canadian journalists [Policy Options]
- Student editors band together to save campus papers after fees change [National Post]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- NYC extends anti-harassment and discrimination protections to freelancers [Freelancers Union]
- Got an Opinion? 5 Tips for Getting Your Op-Ed Published [The Write Life]
- How to raise your freelance profile [Freelancers Union]
- A Freelance Writer’s Guide to Self Publishing a Book on Amazon [Freelance Writing Jobs]
- 3 things I look for in pitches [I Need Diverse Games]
- Just All The Essential Tips You Should Know Before Starting Your Podcast [Journo Resources]
Recently on Story Board:
- Excitement builds with advances in campaign for factual TV workers: A new website is giving a public face to the hundreds of professionals who are determined to secure better pay, benefits and working conditions in the unscripted TV industry…
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.
Excitement builds with advances in campaign for factual TV workers
Factual TV workers Otto Chung and Denise O’Connell give a campaign update at an industry social in Toronto. (Photo: Marta Iwanek)
A new website is giving a public face to the hundreds of professionals who are determined to secure better pay, benefits and working conditions in the unscripted TV industry.
The Fairness in Factual TV campaign that was launched six years ago by CWA Canada and its biggest local, the Canadian Media Guild, has gained both momentum and supporters in recent months.
While a $35-million class action filed in the fall against major production company Cineflix shone a spotlight on the issues, the campaign got a major boost in January when North America’s largest entertainment union came on board.
Read the rest of this post »
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Sept 4-9
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Advocates condemn xenophobic op-ed by Calgary instructor calling for end to diversity [CBC]
- Postmedia editorial staff in Vancouver disavow published commentary criticizing diversity, tolerance, and inclusion [Georgia Straight]
- Excitement builds with advances in campaign for factual TV workers [CWA Canada]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to bridge the divide between you and your clients [Freelancers Union]
- Top Side Jobs for Freelancers: List of Creative Ways to Earn Extra Money Online [Freelance Writing Jobs]
- Freelancer launching online platform that promises to treat writers and sources with respect [Journalism.co.uk]
- Simple ways to jump-start your creativity [Freelancers Union]
- ‘The threats follow us home’: Survey details risks for female journalists in U.S., Canada [CPJ]
- Dead stories and the small fees for killing them [CJR]
Recently on Story Board:
- 2019-2020 Travers Fellowship applications open: Freelancers and students (as well as staff journalists) are welcome to apply for the fellowship, which provides an annual $25,000 award to cover travel, reporting and research expenses, and a stipend for a journalist…
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.
2019-2020 Travers Fellowship applications open
Applications are now open for the Travers Fellowship, an international reporting bursary that helps finance foreign reporting projects by Canadian journalists working in any medium.
Freelancers and students (as well as staff journalists) are welcome to apply for the fellowship, which provides an annual $25,000 award to cover travel, reporting and research expenses, and a stipend for a journalist.
The fellowship is named after Jim Travers, a reporter, foreign correspondent, and former editor of The Ottawa Citizen who spent six years reporting from Africa and the Middle East. After Travers died in 2011, his friends and colleagues created the fellowship to commemorate his contribution to Canadian journalism.
The application deadline is Monday, October 28 at noon EDT. More information and application instructions are available on the Travers Fellowship website.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer August 27-Sept 3
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- We must stand on guard for decent jobs, quality journalism, press freedom [CWA Canada]
- These “Canadian” Websites and Facebook Pages are Actually Run From Overseas [BuzzFeed News]
- The future of journalism education? Investigative. [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to stay focused if you’re assigned to multiple projects at once [HBR]
- What to do when friends and family don’t “get” your freelance career [Freelancers Union]
- Parallel Structure: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding This Writing Technique [The Write Life]
- How to create a killer freelance website [Freelancers Union]
- What to expect when you’re expecting as a freelancer [Open Notebook]
Recently on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer Remembers Freelancing Legend Ken Nordine (1920-2019): Ken Nordine’s ability to excel in two mutually exclusive career threads is a reminder that all conventional freelancing wisdom can on occasion be circumnavigated and that successful freelancing careers can arise from the most unexpected of inspirations…
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 Remembers Freelancing Legend Ken Nordine (1920-2019)
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.
When asked about the most successful route to freelancing, the sage pundits’ advice often seems to fall into two distinct categories: either learn all the essential skill sets that will enable you to fit in seamlessly anywhere, or develop a unique and memorable brand identity that will set you apart from all other competitors.
Both are solid, time-tested approaches that could bring positive career results depending upon your individual goals, needs and personality type.
Today, I want to share with you the story of an extraordinary freelancer who managed to combine these two seemingly mutually exclusive approaches resulting in a financially and creatively successful career.
Ken Nordine’s ability to excel in two mutually exclusive career threads is a reminder that all conventional freelancing wisdom can on occasion be circumnavigated and that successful freelancing careers can arise from the most unexpected of inspirations.
In the beginning…
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer August 20-26
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Editor of Your Ward News gets the maximum one year jail for hate promotion [National Newswatch]
- Going viral: Creating contagious content [Robyn Roste]
- Support 140 years of campus journalism — The Varsity’s levy is worth it [The Varsity]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to become a freelance writer while you’re in college [The Write Life]
- How to respond to unsolicited advice from non-writers [The Writer]
- How Slack communities can help you advance your freelance career [Freelancers Union]
- A year of organizing freelance journalists [Organizing Work]
- 5 unconventional blog promotion tactics to attract more readers [Freelancers Union]
- I was skeptical of unions. Then I joined one [Vox]
Recently on Story Board:
- Tools for freelancers: The right tools can make your freelance business run more smoothly and allow you to spend more time on the creative work that earns you money. Here are a few of the best tools for freelancers we’ve run across lately…
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.
Tools for freelancers
Savvy freelancers are always looking for ways to streamline their workflow. The right tools can make your freelance business run more smoothly and allow you to spend more time on the creative work that earns you money. Here are a few of the best tools for freelancers we’ve run across lately.
Transcription
For freelance journalists, transcription can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the job. While it’s often useful to listen back to full interviews and type out transcripts, shortcuts can be helpful — especially during busy times.
Otter is a transcription service that allows you to record interviews on your phone or in a web browser. You can also import or sync recordings from other services. You’ll get real-time streaming transcripts and searchable notes. “You can get 600 minutes per month free, and if it works well for you, there’s paid premium service.
And if you do prefer to transcribe your interviews manually, oTranscribe is still the best tool we’ve found for manual transcription.
Rate calculator
It’s important for freelancers to know what their work is worth. One way to think about how much you should be charging is by calculating how much you need to make per year and working backwards to figure out an hourly rate. This rate calculator can help you work that out.
Clipping saver
The internet can be a fickle and rapidly-changing place. If you’re a freelance writer, you might have had the experience of losing online clippings when publishers you’ve written for have gone under. It’s a good idea to screenshot your work, but turning those screenshots into PDFs can be a time consuming process.
This personal clipping service is an easy solution. Sign in with Twitter, enter the URLs of your work into the search field and Save My News will keep an archive of all of your published online work. Easy!
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer August 13-19
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Workshop: The Business of Writing and Editing [AMPA]
- Canadian Media Guild throws support to FRIENDS’ We Choose campaign [CMG]
- You Must Be This Conservative To Ride: The Inside Story of Postmedia’s Right Turn [Canadaland]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to Write a Helpful Headline People Will Want to Click [The Freelancer]
- How Trans Journalists are Challenging—and Changing—Journalism [Nieman Reports]
- 25 Editing Tips for Tightening Your Copy [The Write Life]
- Why you’re not hearing about America’s wars [Mother Jones]
- How to Launch a Freelance Writing Career: Answers to 5 Common Questions [The Write Life]
- 10 ways to get the writing juices flowing [PR Daily]
- How to tell good feedback from bad [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Webinar — Covering Provincial Politics: Join us for a webinar that will introduce journalism students and less experienced reporters to the basics of covering provincial politics. You’ll learn who the key players are, which areas of policy are widely covered and which get less attention, how to find information and what it’s like to be part of the press gallery covering Premier Doug Ford…
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.
Webinar: Covering Provincial Politics
Photo by Al_HikesAZ via Flickr.
Provincial policy touches every part of Canadian life. Schools, hospitals and police forces rely on provincial governments for funding; employers and landlords have to follow a provincial government’s laws.
Join us for a webinar that will introduce journalism students and less experienced reporters to the basics of covering provincial politics. You’ll learn who the key players are, which areas of policy are widely covered and which get less attention, how to find information and what it’s like to be part of the press gallery covering Premier Doug Ford.
“Covering Provincial Politics” is scheduled for Saturday September 7 at 10 am PST / 1 pm EST. It will be led by Emma Paling, who took on the Queen’s Park beat for HuffPost Canada in 2018 after three years as one of the site’s news editors. Emma graduated with a Combined Honours degree in journalism and history from Carleton University in 2014.
To register for this webinar click on this link. If you’re a CMG Freelance member, enter the code “CMG-FL” when you are asked for an affiliation code. If you’re a CWA Canada Associate Member please enter the code “CWA-AM.” If you are not a member, you can enter the code “SBoard” to register to participate in this webinar for free.
Live viewings of our webinars are open to everyone. We’ll be making a recorded version available to members of CMG Freelance after the event. For information about the price and benefits of CMG Freelance membership please check out the CMG Freelance website.
