Defamation clause in new Canada Wide Media contract remains unchanged
Last week it was brought to our attention that Canada Wide Media, which publishes of a variety of magazines including Westworld and BC Business, has updated its contract for freelance contributors. Back in May, Story Board reported that the CWM contract contained a clause that places responsibility for libel suits resulting from a published work squarely on the writer’s shoulders. At that […]
Fighting private radio’s “culture of fear”
The employees of MBS Radio in Saint John just want a contract. Watch the video, read about the Canadian Media Guild’s negotiations with Maritime Broadcasting System on behalf of its employees, follow the campaign on Facebook and if you’re inclined to lend your support, send a message to MBS Radio owner Robert Pace. Via CMG.ca.
Signer beware: Libel clauses in some freelance contracts leave writers holding the bag
Clauses that make writers wholly responsible for defamatory language in magazine articles have been popping up in freelance contracts for a while now. Last fall, we mentioned that The Grid, owned by Torstar Corp., was distributing new freelance agreements with clauses that could leave writers exposed to counter-suits in the event a libel suit was […]
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, […]
Letter from CP Ottawa bureau workers expresses anger, disappointment over contract negotiations
Our post earlier this week about the contract negotiations between the Canadian Media Guild, on behalf of its members, and The Canadian Press focused on what both those bodies are asking for, but what about the employees and their voice in all this? More than two months into negotiations, and after the recent appointment of […]
The Canadian Media Guild fights on behalf of its members in negotiations with The Canadian Press
When the company you’re negotiating with starts off by calling its financial situation “dire,” it’s probably safe to assume you’re in for a long and bumpy ride. That’s the message that the Canadian Media Guild heard from to The Canadian Press late last year, when it began negotiating with the company on behalf of its […]
Nine soon-to-be unpaid writers leave HuffPost Quebec before it launches
We bet that most everyone who writes for the Huffington Post for free doubts whether they should. Story Board readers have heard about that straight from a former HuffPost Canada writer. At least nine writers who were to begin writing for Huffington Post Quebec after its Feb. 8 launch have considered the pros and cons […]
Thomson Reuters Moves 22 Canadian Jobs to India
The Thomson Reuters newsroom in Toronto will lose a third of its employees this spring, when the news agency will offshore its online desk. Management informed employees today that 17 permanent and 5 temporary positions will move to Bangalore, India, in March. This will reportedly leave five online desk employees in Toronto. The Canadian Media […]
Blogger must pay $2.5 million after judge decides she’s not a journalist
Freelancers, here’s something to consider. If you’re not affiliated with a particular publication, are you still a journalist? If you self-publish investigative pieces, or really anything that could be deemed defamatory, are you protected by the law? Crystal Cox, a Portland-based writer, is the target of a lawsuit from Obsidian Finance Group, reports a Seattle […]
Forget about 15 minutes—Canadian visual artists want their five per cent
Imagine if, to sell your writing or other media work, you had to give up all re-sale rights, knowing full well that the person you were selling it to would earn far more than you had because of their access to a wider market. If what you’re producing is one-of-a-kind, nearly impossible to re-create, and […]
