Ali Mustafa Memorial Award for freelance photojournalists application deadline Nov. 1
A new award honouring a freelance photojournalist killed in Syria is now accepting applications. The deadline to apply for the first annual Ali Mustafa Memorial Award for People’s Journalism is Sunday, November 1st.
The award is given in honour of Ali Mustafa, a Toronto freelance photojournalist who was killed in Aleppo in March 2014 while he was photographing the destruction caused by the war in Syria. His work had been featured in The Guardian, Le Nouvel Observateur, Journal du Dimanche, Les Echos, and The Times of London. He was only 29 years old when he was killed.
The award was set up by the Ali Mustafa Memorial Collective as a way to honour his memory and pay tribute to the work of freelance photographers. It seeks to support freelance photographers who are documenting social justice-related issues.
The winner of the award will receive a maximum of $3,000 to cover such costs as travel expenses, equipment, training, visa, insurance, and living expenses. The winner will also be given a one-year membership in the Canadian Media Guild’s Freelance Branch and a one-year professional membership in the News Photographers Association of Canada.
For more details about the award and how to apply, visit rememberinalimustafa.org. If you have any questions, you can send them to AliMustafaAward@gmail.com.
Debate on unpaid internships still evolving
Toronto panel discusses why, despite crackdowns, unpaid internships remain all too common.
Despite outcry over unpaid internships, people continue to debate their merits. Screenshot by J-Source.
By Marielle Torrefranca
The past few years have seen a crackdown on corporations and organizations that are still hiring unpaid interns.
Despite the pushback, there is still a demand for internships, most unpaid. Why is the demand still so strong?
That was the main question under discussion at Interns, Connect! A Forum on Upsetting Unpaid Work. The event was held in conjunction with the launch of a special issue of the open-access journal tripleC called Interrogating Internships: Unpaid Work, Creative Industries, and Higher Education.
The two-hour panel took place at the Centre for Social Innovation Annex in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 24 and featured Andrew Langille, a labour lawyer and general counsel for the Canadian Intern Association; Josh Mandryk, director of the Canadian Intern Association; Jainna Patel, a former intern for Bell Mobility; Katherine Lapointe, an organizer of the CWA Canada’s Associate Member’s program; Deena Ladd, founder and coordinator of the Workers’ Action Centre; Carlo Fanelli, a visiting professor at Ryerson’s Department of Politics and Ella Henry, co-chair of Students Against Unpaid Internship Scams.
Under the moderation of Toronto Star’s Work and Wealth reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh, each panellist noted that the state of the “intern issue” is in need of a fresh direction.
Are you keeping in touch with clients?
by Sue Horner
The client put my business card on his desk. He had held onto it since 2003, after we had worked together on a safety newsletter.
That’s right, since 2003. I was stunned.
As a writer, I’m thrilled to be invited to quote on new projects with someone I have worked with before. As a business owner, though, I’m embarrassed that *I* had not contacted him in all those years, just to keep in touch.
It’s true we might have lost touch anyway. He had changed companies, and the original colleague who connected us was now using an agency instead of me. But as any business owner knows, it’s easier and more pleasant all around to do more work with existing clients than to beat the bushes to find new clients.
Over at the Well-Fed Writer Blog, fellow indie Peter Bowerman described a similar situation, wondering why we lose contact with customers. He agrees there are lots of reasons why we might not work with a client any more, all of which have happened to me:
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Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Oct 14-19
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:
- Which Party Cares About Freelancers? The Election Issue [Living Freelance]
- Canadians must demand better journalism, says CBC’s Derek Stoffel [J-Source]
- CJFE Press Conference with Mohamed Fahmy in Toronto [J-Source]
- Memo: Amanda Lang to leave CBC [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Meet the new ‘Yelp-like’ app for freelance writers [New York Post] (via @Romenesko)
- Key advice for young writers getting started in games journalism [Journalism.co.uk]
- 9 Things Freelancers Should Do To Get Higher Rates [Fast Company]
- How the most successful people keep track of their best ideas [Fast Company]
- How NOT to write a pitch email [Freelancers Union]
- Working on the Road: 4 Tips for Freelance Writing While Traveling [The Write Life]
Last week on Story Board:
- The Born Freelancer on Whether or Not to Believe: I was talking with a colleague recently. We were comparing notes about the freelancing life and duly complaining about this and that, when out of the blue he said, “Well, it’s not so bad for you, at least you always believe in what you’re working on”…
- Scott Carney’s WordRates to launch on Monday: Last spring we told you about the Kickstarter for WordRates, a website aimed at improving rates and working conditions for freelance writers. Since his successful Kickstarter ended, Colorado-based writer Scott Carney has been working with developers to bring WordRates to 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 on Whether or Not to Believe
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.
I was talking with a colleague recently. We were comparing notes about the freelancing life and duly complaining about this and that, when out of the blue he said, “Well, it’s not so bad for you, at least you always believe in what you’re working on”.
When I asked him to explain, he replied, “Well, I have all the same problems you do but rarely get the satisfaction of having dealt with them for something I believe in”. In other words, he was a true “gun for hire”. He didn’t necessarily have to believe in the project he was working on. As a result he had far more work and far more revenue streams than did I. Now maybe I had more “satisfaction” than he did but how relevant is that to the working freelancer with bills to pay and mouths to feed?
So I got to pondering – do you really need to believe in your work?
Scott Carney’s WordRates to launch on Monday
Last spring we told you about the Kickstarter for WordRates, a website aimed at improving rates and working conditions for freelance writers. Since his successful Kickstarter ended, Colorado-based writer Scott Carney has been working with developers to bring WordRates to life. Last week he announced that the site will launch at 8 a.m. this coming Monday, October 19th.
Carney launched the project in response to the stripping of valuable rights from freelance contracts at major magazines. He envisioned WordRates as a way to put some power back in the hands of writers.
His site has a dual purpose. The WordRates side will serve as “a Yelp! for journalists,” giving freelancers the opportunity to post information about their experiences with various publishers, including word rates and information about editors. The PitchLab side of the operation will act as a literary agency, pairing writers with mentors to workshop ideas and shop them to top magazines in exchange for a 15% commission.
Last week, Carney revealed the identities of some of his mentors – award-winning writers from The New York Times Magazine, New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Wired including Trevor Aaronson, Vince Beiser, Erin Biba, Charles Graeber, Jonathan Green, Jon Lackman, Robert Levine, Jason Miklian, Luke O’Brien, Neal Pollack, Paul Tullis and Joel Warner.
Contently ran an interview with Carney last week that explores some of the plans for PitchLab. Although the site intends to represent only the very best story pitches they’re sent, Carney hopes that WordRates will have a wider impact. His ultimate aim is to push all writers to be more aware of their value to the businesses that profit from their work.
That’s a goal we can definitely get behind. Check out Carney’s creation next week at Wordrates.com.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Oct 6-13
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:
- Five reasons Aboriginal journalists are turning to crowdfunding [J-Source]
- CBC introduces bullying helpline for staff in wake of Ghomeshi scandal [Globe and Mail]
- Mohamed Fahmy departs Egypt to begin trip home to Canada [Globe and Mail]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 9 Things Freelancers Should Do To Get Higher Rates [Fast Company]
- This Startup Will Piss Off Publishers—And Make Freelancers Happy [The Freelancer]
- Commentary: Corporate media’s lack of vision threatens photojournalism’s future [Poynter]
- The 9 Most Important Takeaways From Freelancers Union’s Annual Survey [The Freelancer]
- 30 cranky bits of wisdom on the craft of journalism [Poynter]
- Huffington Post Staffers Seeking to Unionize With Writers Guild [Variety]
- Al Jazeera America digital workers vote to go union [Poynter]
- Why Politicians Better Start Listening to Freelancers [Time]
- You Screwed Up. How Do You Get Your Client Back? [The Freelancer]
- Major TV networks sign onto freelancer safety compact [Poynter]
Last week on Story Board:
- John Vaillant on high-impact non-fiction writing: Master storyteller John Vaillant delivered a highly concentrated dose of non-fiction writing advice last weekend at a day-long workshop in Vancouver that was part of The Tyee’s fall Master Class series…
- SABEW Canada hosts talk with Kevin Delaney: Toronto-area business writers, SABEW Canada is hosting another event this month that you won’t want to miss…
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.
John Vaillant on high-impact non-fiction writing
by Rachel Sanders
Master storyteller John Vaillant delivered a highly concentrated dose of non-fiction writing advice last weekend at a day-long workshop in Vancouver that was part of The Tyee’s fall Master Class series.
The author of the award-winning and bestselling books The Golden Spruce and The Tiger took an intense dive into the processes and narrative techniques necessary to create stories that grab and hold readers’ attention in a world filled with distraction. How do you know you’ve got a good story? And where do you go from there? These are questions you need to ask about every story you pitch — from magazine features to radio documentaries to non-fiction books. Here are some of Vaillant’s suggestions.
• So you’ve got an idea… but how do you know whether it’s worth pursuing? Vaillant suggests you use your own barometer of interest. If you’re fascinated by the idea yourself, it’s a good hint that the idea is compelling.
• How much research do you need to do before you’re ready to pitch a story? As much as possible. Vaillant estimates that he spent a year researching before he went to the New Yorker with the story that eventually became The Golden Spruce. When you’re trying to sell a story, you’re basically trying to get a investor, he says. Having solid research material can help with that.
Read the rest of this post »
SABEW Canada hosts talk with Kevin Delaney
Toronto-area business writers, SABEW Canada is hosting another event this month that you won’t want to miss. Quartz editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney is coming to town and will be speaking with Elena Cherney, the Wall Street Journal’s Canada bureau chief.
The talk is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14 at the Toronto Board of Trade (First Canadian Place, 77 Adelaide Street West). Doors open at 6:30 and the talk will begin at 7:00.
Cherney will be asking Delaney about launching a media start-up, finding award-winning stories and the future of long-form journalism.
If you’re a SABEW Canada member this event is free. Tickets for non-members are $15. Complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served after the talk.
You can get your ticket on this Eventbrite page.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Sept 29-Oct 5
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:
- Vancouver Island’s Alberni Valley Times to close [J-Source]
- Rogers Media to “reimagine” Next Issue subscription service as Texture [Canadian Magazines]
- Independent journalist Joey Coleman to revive his Independent Record [J-Source]
- On My Own: The Challenge of Freelance Isolation [Living Freelance]
- The Globe wins at 2015 Online Journalism Awards [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Half of U.S. freelancers wouldn’t take a job no matter what [TechCrunch]
- How to Use Facebook Groups to Find Your Next Freelance Writing Gig [The Write Life]
- This is what the state of freelancing in the U.S. means for the future of work [Fast Company]
- 6 tips for getting gigs as a freelance journalist [Poynter]
- 22 Places to Write When You’re Tired of Working at Home [The Write Life]
- Should you be friends with your clients? [Freelancers Union]
- 9 tools to help you record and transcribe interviews [The Write Life]
Last week on Story Board:
- The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #24 — Caitlin Kelly: Caitlin Kelly is a Canadian writer based in New York City. She has been writing for clients such as The New York Times, Smithsonian, More, and Marie Claire for over 20 years…
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.
