New UK report highlights the challenges of freelancing
This post is the eleventh in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon New data confirm that the number of freelance journalists has increased across the UK since 2000 and their pay is […]
Canadian freelancers turn to the US market to secure higher-paying gigs
This post is the tenth in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon When Canadian-based freelancer Katherine O’Brien started working as a web content and blog writer, she hadn’t made a conscious […]
Journalism internships should be paid fairly and offer personal mentoring
This post is the eighth in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon Entry-level media workers can confirm that some journalism internships aren’t as glamorous as they may seem because they’re neither […]
Equity issues at VICE Canada highlighted by unionization effort
This post is the seventh in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon The VICE Canada bargaining committee has been looking closely at equity issues as it prepares for upcoming meetings in […]
Freelancers helped invent digital communications tools to build online networks
This post is the sixth in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon Before the Internet and World Wide Web became fully commercialized in the mid-1990s, freelance writers and photographers began using […]
Striking Chronicle Herald Workers “Xpress” Themselves Online in Halifax News Rivalry
This post is the fifth in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon Striking newsroom workers of the Chronicle Herald relaunched their free news site, LocalXpress.ca, as a non-profit organization on […]
Interning at Unionized Media Companies Pays—Literally
This post is the fourth in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon Summer internship season is about to begin. But decently paid internships, like jobs, are hard to find. Still, internships are […]
Digital Media Workers Are Unionizing Like It’s 1999
This post is the third in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. By Errol Salamon Gawker Media’s editorial staff ratified their first union contract on March 1 with their collective bargaining representatives at the […]
Vice Media workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your unicorn!
By Errol Salamon This post is the second in a series called “E-Lancer Writes,” exploring the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage or temporary digital media workers. Workers at Vice Media are leading efforts to unionize digital media workplaces. These efforts have spread internationally from the United […]
Links between freelancing and gender inequality highlighted by Chronicle Herald labour dispute
By Errol Salamon This post is the first in a series called “E-Lancer Writes.” The series will explore the working conditions, rights, and collective organizing strategies of freelance journalists, interns, and other low-wage and temporary digital media workers. The Halifax Chronicle Herald made headlines last week for contacting freelance journalists to replace the newspaper’s […]
