‘Compensation’
Freelancers and crowdfunding
We all know how tough a career in journalism has become over the past few years. Newspapers are in poor shape, many magazines are struggling, and CBC has been hit with budget cut after budget cut. This week, J-Source took a close look at how all of this affects freelancers, with a post on the challenges […]
CMG Freelance Branch investigates call for submissions
Regular freelance contributors to CBC Radio’s DNTO program received an email a couple of weeks ago from DNTO on behalf of a new summer radio program called, ‘How To Do It’. It was a call for submissions which included these paragraphs: “We’re looking for 3-5 minute anecdotes that you’re willing to share on the radio. […]
Straight talk about unpaid internships
Last month’s Will Work For Exposure conference at Ryerson University may have been the first time a public conversation was held in Canada about unpaid internships. The panel on internships included this presentation from Andrew Langille, a Toronto-based lawyer and graduate student. Langille is responsible for Youth and Work, a website that provides information for young people […]
Experience or exploitation? Conference ramps up debate on unpaid internships
By Anqi Shen The culture sector, long known for its precarious working conditions, is shaping up to be more arduous for its workers. On October 19, a mix of students, professionals, artists and union leaders converged in Toronto to talk labour injustice at the ‘Will Work for Exposure’ conference at Ryerson University. Organized by Ryerson’s Centre […]
Freelancer or employee? Which are you?
The BBC has been under fire this month for its practice of paying presenters and other contributors as freelancers. The Guardian reported yesterday that staff contracts will be offered to many of these individuals following a review of the BBC’s tax policies. The move is in response to accusations that the broadcaster has been complicit in […]
What It Feels Like To Be A Freelancer
This little video has been going around this week, striking a chord with freelancers of all stripes. The video is posted on dontgetscrewedover.com and was sponsored by Docracy, a U.S.-based site launched last year that hosts free, open-source legal documents provided by users. The site contains personal documents such as wills and rental agreements, as well […]
Striking workers on the air with Radio Free Saint John
After nearly a month on the picket line, the seven striking employees of MBS Radio have been back on the air for the past few days. The striking members of the Canadian Media Guild are broadcasting from a web-based station called Radio Free Saint John, playing music as well as using the internet airwaves to […]
Songwriters get an online royalty collection service — where’s ours?
Once your work goes online, keeping tabs on it can be a full-time job. If it pops up on an unfamiliar site, without your permission, what are your chances of getting paid? As we’ve heard on Story Board previously, it’s more likely you’ll see the work removed from the site than see any cash. TuneCore, […]
Why I quit blogging and why you should too (if you’re a writer) [UPDATED]
By Jeff Nield EDITOR’S NOTE: Changes have been made to this post as a result of a request from TreeHugger’s parent company, Discovery Communications, which claims certain disclosures in the original post were in violation of a confidentiality clause contained in an agreement signed by the author. Until last week, I was a part-time blogger […]
CWG negotiates new deal with Reader’s Digest
It doesn’t happen every day, so when writers make gains after negotiating with a publication, it’s a story worth sharing. Working with Reader’s Digest managing editor Derek Webster, Derek Finkle negotiated a new pay grid on behalf of writers represented by the Canadian Writers Group this fall. Shortly before Webster left the magazine in October, […]
