Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 29-Jan 3
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:
- Fake news is a false problem: Salutin [Toronto Star]
- Opinion: Who gets to speak on behalf of the Indigenous community? [CBC]
- 2017: The year the bottom falls out of Canadian media [Nieman Lab]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to plan for a glorious finish to 2017 – right from the start [Freelancers Union]
- Twitter embraces its role as a media company [BuzzFeed]
- Why new journalism grads are optimistic about 2017 [Poynter]
- Working from home: 3 amazing secrets to boost productivity [Freelancers Union]
- 5 Social Media Trends That Will Change The Game In 2017 [Forbes]
- Where to turn for advice when you’re self-publishing a book [The Write Life]
- How to save the dying newspaper editorial [Philly]
- Need Writing Inspiration? Try This Cool Brainstorming Technique [The Write Life]
Recently on Story Board:
- Off the Page with Richard Kelly Kemick: Off the Page is a regular interview series featuring National Magazine Award winners. Recently we caught up with Richard Kelly Kemick, who was nominated for 2 National Magazine Awards in 2016…
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.
Off the Page, with Richard Kelly Kemick
Off the Page is a regular interview series featuring National Magazine Award winners. Recently we caught up with Richard Kelly Kemick, who was nominated for 2 National Magazine Awards in 2016–winning the Gold Medal in One of a Kind for his story “Playing God” (The Walrus), a reflection on his singular obsession with building Christmas villages. The story also won him a nomination for Canada’s Best New Magazine Writer.
NMAF: “Playing God,” your story that won Gold in the One of a Kind category at last year’s NMAs, was developed at the Banff Centre for Literary Journalism. Can you describe your experience there, and how this somewhat unconventional idea was developed into an award-winning magazine story.
Richard: During my month at the Banff Centre––as every tagline on their website attests––I worked alongside some of the best editors and writers in the business (Ian Brown, Victor Dwyer, Charlotte Gill, to say nothing of the exceptional participants I was writing alongside). What I wasn’t expecting, however, was how affirming it would be for me as a writer.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 20-28
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:
- Holiday books from the National Magazine Awards [Magazine Awards]
- Call for entries for 2017 National Magazine Awards are now open [J-Source]
- The best of the season. See you next year [Canadian Magazines]
- Why are we obsessed with podcasts? [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 7 Steps to Starting Your Freelance Career While You’re Still Employed [Mediabistro]
- ‘Profitable’ Washington Post adding more than five dozen journalists [Politico]
- Want to be a good writer? Keep talking [Poynter]
- Write Faster! 9 Foolproof Techniques to Increase Your Productivity [Mediabistro]
- Tool for journalists: Audiogram, for making audio more shareable on social media [Journalism.co.uk]
- How Do I Quit My Job to Freelance Without Going Broke? [New York Magazine]
- Five New Year’s Resolutions for Freelancers That Aren’t Stupid [The Freelancer]
- The Knight Foundation is matching up to $1.5 million in donations to nonprofit news outlets [Nieman Lab]
- How to Conduct a Year-End Review for Your Writing [The Write Life]
- Going Rogue: How to tell if you’re ready to start full-time freelancing in 2017 [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Journalism interns – share your experiences!: Did you work as a journalism intern at a media company in Canada or the United States between 2013 and 2016? Researcher Errol Salamon would like to hear about your experiences…
- Webinar for members Jan 18 – Inbox Zero: How many emails are piled up in your inbox right now? Hundreds? Thousands? Is it stressing you out? Want to do something about it? Our next webinar for members is just what you need…
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.
Journalism interns: Share your experiences!
Did you work as a journalism intern at a media company in Canada or the United States between 2013 and 2016? Researcher Errol Salamon would like to hear about your experiences. He’s working on a research project on journalism internships, and is interested in hearing about what was beneficial and what could have been improved about your internships.
If you’ve worked a media internship over the past three years, you’re invited to complete this short introductory questionnaire. Your responses will be kept confidential. They will become part of reports on the working conditions of interns in order to determine best practices for journalism internships.
Errol Salamon is a CWA Canada Associate Member, work and labour editor of J-Source and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania.
Click through to the survey right here. If you have questions or concerns, you can email Errol at errolsalamon@gmail.com for more information.
Webinar for members January 18: “Inbox Zero”
How many emails are piled up in your inbox right now? Hundreds? Thousands? Is it stressing you out? Want to do something about it? Our next webinar for members is just what you need.
Scheduled forWednesday, January 18th, 2017 at 6pm ET, “Inbox Zero” will be presented by tech writer Luigi Benetton.
Luigi will explain the concept of Inbox Zero and provide usable tips you can use to reach and maintain an empty inbox, and the peace of mind that comes with it.
Says Luigi: “There are lots of great tools you can use to manage your information. Your email inbox is, sadly, not one of them. Every email you leave in your inbox at the end of the day is a loose piece of information that might come back to haunt you, Your inbox works better as a scorecard, where zero emails is the sign of an organized mind.”
Luigi is a technology and business writer. From technical manuals to white papers to articles to case studies, Luigi specializes in helping companies tell their stories in ways their audiences understand.
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 page on our website. You’ll need your membership number to register. 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.
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.
If you’ve missed our previous webinars, they’re all archived online in the “For Members” section of the CMG Freelance website. Subjects of previous webinars include pitching and freelance finances. Most recently, members enjoyed “What Do You Do When The Game Changes?” — a webinar on social media storytelling hosted by BuzzFeed Canada’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 13-19
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:
- Off the Page, with Richard Kelly Kemick [Magazine Awards]
- New CBC opinion section provides more paid writing opportunities for freelancers [J-Source]
- Treat yourself to a magazine or web publishing course this winter [Canadian Magazines]
- Six months after organizing, bargaining at Vice Canada goes on [J-Source]
- The trouble with trolls [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to Save Money as a Freelance Writer [The Write Life]
- By Attacking the Press, Donald Trump May Be Doing It a Favour [New York Times]
- Income anxiety – the boogey man at the window and how to deal with him [Freelancers Union]
- Centre for Community Journalism launches network to represent independent news publishers [Journalism.co.uk]
- How to handle sick days when you’re a freelancer and a parent [Freelancers Union]
- The Washington Post is ‘profitable and growing,’ publisher says [Poynter]
- 5 Red Flags to Look for in a Contract [The Freelancer]
- Are You a Freelance Writer? You Need an Accountability Group [The Write Life]
Recently on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer Reaches 100: Today marks my 100th post. This may not seem like anything special to you but I can clearly remember finishing my very first post only a few years ago and thinking, “What on earth do I write about next”…
- The Freelancer’s Guide to Content Marketing: Chances are, you didn’t become a freelancer because you wanted to learn how to write something called “native advertising.” Maybe you’re a graduate from a journalism school, or you’ve honed your freelance career by pitching, researching, and writing stories for magazines such as The Walrus, Canadian Business, or Toronto Life…
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 Reaches 100
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.
Today marks my 100th post.
This may not seem like anything special to you but I can clearly remember finishing my very first post only a few years ago and thinking, “What on earth do I write about next”?
So I had to dig deep within inside myself and come up with a lot more on a lot more than I even knew I knew about. This column is living proof of the adage, “Write about what you know”.
While we can endlessly argue the quality of that knowledge, I think I can comfortably assert that freelancing is the one constant factor in my adult life, probably the only one, that I could have written about with such dedication and firsthand experience. Much has changed but so much more has remained the same.
Most importantly, serious full-time freelancing is not just a career, it is a lifestyle choice.
When I look back over these 100 posts I think I have tried to convey that more than anything else. It is a way of living – the way of living – for many of us that provides a freedom, an empowerment, well worth all the hassles and shortcomings and sacrifices we must make to live it. I would never change it despite its many accompanying intermittent periods of economic and emotional turmoil.
What I have tried to share with you over these 100 posts are the many and varied reasons why I feel this to be so.
I also hope that I have given you some useful solutions to problems I have encountered along the way that might be helpful in charting your own unique journey over the sometimes treacherous freelancing terrain.
What has changed
The Freelancer’s Guide to Content Marketing
By Steven Threndyle
Chances are, you didn’t become a freelancer because you wanted to learn how to write something called “native advertising.” Maybe you’re a graduate from a journalism school, or you’ve honed your freelance career by pitching, researching, and writing stories for magazines such as The Walrus, Canadian Business, or Toronto Life.
But A-list magazine markets—the ones that used to be a major source of income for freelance editorial writers—have descended into freefall, much like their newspaper counterparts.
Just because print advertising isn’t healthy doesn’t mean, however, that opportunities for freelancers have vanished. Indeed, public institutions, professional associations and corporations are turning to freelancers to provide a wide variety of storytelling needs.
You’ve probably heard terms like sponsor content, native advertising, advertorial, and brand journalism before—and maybe you’ve even written some of these stories. These buzzwords belong to the world of marketing, which of course many journalists see as anathema to the very idea of objective reporting.
Given the state of today’s freelance editorial markets, however, it is quite likely impossible for even the most ambitious writer to make a decent, full time living without exploring any of these options.
Why is all of this happening?
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 6-12
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:
- When a reporter has to make the ‘Death Knock’ [J-Source]
- Volunteering for the sake of the industry, Martin Seto has some things to say [Canadian Magazines]
- Why Canadian journalists have to care about online security [J-Source]
- Mastheadonline to become “volunteer based community website” [Canadian Magazines]
- Ricochet Sued For Defamation By Montreal Columnist Over Satirical Obituary [Canadaland]
- 10 months into strike, Chronicle Herald union file labour board complaint [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How Anne Lamott Helped This Woman Beat Writer’s Block [The Write Life]
- Looking for freelance advice? Meet Manjula Martin [The Freelance Beat]
- Teaching journalism after election a tricky endeavor [Columbia Journalism Review]
- Nonprofit Journalism Groups Are Gearing Up With Flood of Donations [New York Times]
- Lessons in Freelancing: What to Do When Stiffed On Payment [Mediabistro]
- Guardian announces partnership with Vice [The Guardian]
- 3 reasons why every woman should consider freelancing in her lifetime [Freelancers Union]
- These two stats from The New York Times should give newspapers hope [Poynter]
- 3 simple ways to self-care during stressful times [Freelancers Union]
- Behind the Times’ surge to 2.5 million subscribers [Politico]
- Oxford literary festival agrees to pay authors, ending ‘work for nothing’ row [The Guardian]
- Getty Images/iStock to slash freelance royalties by up to 93% [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Edmonton media outlet Taproot pays the writers: Karen Unland is appalled by publishers that don’t pay their freelancers. The co-founder of the brand new Edmonton media outlet Taproot says relying on unpaid writers is the sign of a broken business model…
- National Magazine Awards Foundation announces new categories, Freelancer Support Fund: The National Magazine Awards Foundation announced a revamped set of categories last week that are designed to increase the value and prestige of the awards…
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.
Edmonton media outlet Taproot pays the writers
Karen Unland is appalled by publishers that don’t pay their freelancers. The co-founder of the brand new Edmonton media outlet Taproot says relying on unpaid writers is the sign of a broken business model.
“It just seems like if you can’t pay the people who are doing the work, it’s not a viable business,” she says.
Unland and her co-founder Mack Male started paying the writers who produce Taproot’s journalism right from the start.
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