New Year’s Resolutions, Freelance Style
by Steven Threndyle
Between the time the last gift is unwrapped on Christmas Day and the moment the first champagne bottle is popped on New Year’s Eve, many of us take stock of “the year that was” and set our sights on the year ahead.
In order not to feel regretful when this introspective period arrives at the same time next year, many of us undertake New Year’s resolutions—the vast majority of which we’ll fail at. (A cursory scan of news stories puts the ‘fail’ rate at somewhere between 80 and 92 percent.)
If there is one thing writers know, it’s rejection and failure, so the very nature of the writing life might lead us to avoid this exercise altogether. We wanted to find out, so we canvassed over a dozen writers working in a broad range of non-fiction genres; from travel writing to politics to science to energy to the environment. The questions were “Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution for your writing/journalism career, and how did it work out?” And, “Are you making any resolutions for 2018?”
The initial response was not encouraging, as travel writer Chuck Thompson wrote simply, “no, no, and no.” Perhaps the most pragmatic answer was provided by NYC-based writer Caitlin Kelly, who tersely replied “I don’t make them. Market forces are beyond my control.”
Read the rest of this post »
News Literacy Project sees big uptake in Canadian schools
When the News Literacy Project launched its classroom program in 2009, the term “fake news” had not yet achieved notoriety. But Alan Miller, the project’s president and CEO, had already realized there was a growing challenge, particularly among young people, to interpret online information.
“Sometimes we say we were the antidote to fake news long before it became such a popular term,” Miller told Story Board during a phone interview.
The non-profit project works with teachers and journalists to help students learn to distinguish fact from fiction online. Miller, who was a reporter with the Los Angeles Times for 21 years and spent 14 years on the paper’s investigative team in Washington, said many young students believe that all information is created equal – that anything published online must be true. By high school, he said, students are often quite cynical, believing that all news is driven by bias or agenda, whether personal, political or commercial.
After the 2016 U.S. election, Miller said, the revelations about viral rumours, conspiracies and hoaxes were a wake-up call to the seriousness of the problem and the threat that it represents to democracy.
“We feel like we’ve gone from being a voice in the wilderness to an answer to a prayer. One of my board members said ‘what does it feel like to be an overnight sensation after nine years of hard work?’” he said.
Read the rest of this post »
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 19-27
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:
- All the cuts (and a few hires) in Canadian journalism in 2017 [J-Source]
- Calgary freelancers throw office party for the office-less [CBC]
- Is Donald Trump journalism’s secret friend? [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Unions Are Gaining a Foothold at Digital Media Companies [New York Times]
- At Vice, Cutting-Edge Media and Allegations of Old-School Sexual Harassment [New York Times]
- 7 Ways to Avoid a Freelance Writing Funk This Winter [The Write Life]
- 5 ways to be philanthropic as a freelancer [Freelancers Union]
- Writing Tips: Understanding Register – And Why It Matters [The Write Life]
- How Freelancers Are Harassed — With No One to Tell [Dame Magazine]
- When harassment drives women out of journalism [Vox]
- The fear of pitching for freelance gigs [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Webinar – Get the most out of your Instagram account: Social media expert Katt Stearns will have lots of tips on how to use Instagram in her next webinar, including advice on building your account, proper use of hashtags, engaging your audience, and using Instagram to share images to other platforms…
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.
Webinar: Get the Most Out of Your Instagram Account
Pictures are worth thousands of words and Instagram is where everyone is a photographer. With over 800 million users, it’s a social media platform you can’t ignore.
Social media expert Katt Stearns will have lots of tips on how to use Instagram in her next webinar, including advice on building your account, proper use of hashtags, engaging your audience, and using Instagram to share images to other platforms.
“Get the Most Out of Your Instagram Account“ is scheduled for Thursday, January 11 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
Katt Stearns is the founder of Katt Stearns Consulting. She has worked with numerous small and medium sized organizations helping them develop marketing strategies to share their stories and grow their organizations. Katt is the recipient of the 2015 Canadian Digital Marketer of the Year Award and was also nominated for the 2014 British Columbia Small Business Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. You can connect with Katt on Twitter at @KattStearns.
Register for the webinar at this link. CMG Freelance and CWA Canada Associate Members can use their membership numbers to register. And for a limited time, CMG Freelance is making live viewing of our webinars available to non-members. If you’d like to watch this one, you can use the special code “Storyboard” in place of a membership number.
This is the fourth in Katt’s series of social media webinars for CMG Freelance. Her previous webinars on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are archived for members to watch on the CMG Freelance website.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 12-18
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:
- Employee buyout to save Prince Albert Daily Herald [J-Source]
- Herald goes local with new owners [Prince Albert Daily Herald]
- Entries are open for the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award [CJF]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Former Gawker employees are crowdfunding to relaunch a Gawker.com that’s owned by a nonprofit and funded by readers [Nieman Lab]
- 20 freelancers claim Nautilus magazine stiffed them for $50G [New York Daily News]
- An Open Letter from Freelancers at Nautilus Magazine [National Writers Union]
- Tip: Bookmark this advice if you want to start working as a freelancer [Journalism.co.uk]
- 6 Ways Freelance Writers Can Prepare for Tax Season Right Now [The Write Life]
- 4 great ways to manage your time [Freelancers Union]
- Freelancing over the holidays? A simple guide to maintaining your sanity [Freelancers Union]
- A Freelance Writer’s Guide to Managing Edits [The Write Life]
Recently on Story Board:
- National Writers Union takes action against Nautilus Magazine for non-payment of freelancers: The National Writers Union is taking action this week against U.S. science magazine Nautilus for non-payment of freelance writers. Nineteen writers say they are collectively owed $50,000 by the magazine. Some say they have been waiting for payment for over a year…
- Freelance journalists needed for research study: If you’ve been working as a freelance journalist for 5 years or less — or if you graduated from a Canadian journalism school in the last 5 years — you may be eligible to participate in a research study being carried out at Ryerson University…
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.
National Writers Union takes action against Nautilus Magazine for non-payment of freelancers
The National Writers Union is taking action this week against U.S. science magazine Nautilus for non-payment of freelance writers. Nineteen writers say they are collectively owed $50,000 by the magazine. Some say they have been waiting for payment for over a year.
The NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance writers, published an open letter to Nautilus this week. In it, the 19 writers say that with the support of the union they plan to pursue “a group non-payment grievance with legal action if necessary.” The NWU also published a list of stories that Nautilus has published but not paid for.
A number of media outlets have reported on the NWU’s efforts this week, including New York Daily News. The American digital science magazine Undark first reported on Nautilus’s late payment of freelancers back in April. This week Undark published a post called “Freelancers Organize to Demand Payment From Beleaguered Nautilus Magazine,” which contains comments from the publisher of Nautilus and the president of the National Writers Union.
Writers have been tweeting about the issue this week using the hashtag #paynautiluswriters.
Last week, Story Board posted about the NWU’s campaign to help a group of freelancers who say they are collectively owed $85,000 by Ebony magazine.
Freelance journalists needed for research study
If you’ve been working as a freelance journalist for 5 years or less — or if you graduated from a Canadian journalism school in the last 5 years — you may be eligible to participate in a research study being carried out at Ryerson University.
The study is looking at both freelance journalists who have completed journalism school and emerging freelancers who have not attended journalism school to understand and compare their professionalization practices. These include freelancers’ journalistic values, transition and preparedness for the workforce, methods of securing paid work, difficulties in obtaining paid work, and the role of personal branding and social media in finding paid work.
Participants of both types must be currently either looking for work or working as freelance journalists. Full-time journalists who are currently employed by an organization are not eligible for this study.
The study’s participants will be asked to participate in one 45-minute interview either in person at Ryerson University, or via Skype or Google Hangouts. Participants will receive a payment of $20 for their time.
All participants in the study will be anonymized when the results are published. The results of the study will be made available to the public.
For more information or to volunteer for the study, contact Maggie Reid at margaret.reid@ryerson.ca. You can see more details about the study on this Facebook page.
Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Dec 5-11
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:
- Instead of mourning local news, try paying for it [J-Source]
- How to Write a Good Pitch: Tips from the Editor of The Atlantic [Banff Centre]
- Less than half of Canada’s prime-age workers kept a full time job for all of 2015 [Huffington Post]
- Call for entries: 41st National Magazine Awards [Magazine Awards]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- How to get late payments for your freelance work – no crowbar required [Poynter]
- 7 Secrets to Turning New Clients Into Repeat Customers [The Write Life]
- 10 tips for successful collaboration among journalists [Medium]
- 8 ways freelancers can stand out from competitors and get more clients [Freelancers Union]
- 7 Signs You Should Keep Writing as a Side Hustle [The Write Life]
- Spent: An innovative app for the gig economy [Forbes]
Recently on Story Board:
- National Writers Union pushes ahead with effort to get freelancers paid: The National Writers Union has been forging ahead this fall with a campaign to get a group of freelancers the $85,000 they say they are collectively owed by Ebony for work that has been published in the magazine…
- 2018 National Magazine Awards submissions open: Have you written a great piece of magazine journalism this year? If your publisher isn’t planning to enter it for a National Magazine Award, you should consider entering it yourself… and once again you’ll get a discount on your entry fees…
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.
National Writers Union pushes ahead with effort to get freelancers paid
The National Writers Union has been forging ahead this fall with a campaign to get a group of freelancers the $85,000 they say they are collectively owed by Ebony for work that has been published in the magazine.
Thirty-eight freelancers filed a lawsuit against Ebony in September along with the NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance and contract writers, including journalists, technical writers and authors, among others. The group had their initial court hearing in Chicago in November. Their next court date is scheduled for January 5th.
The union became involved in the dispute after writers started using the hashtag #EbonyOwes to draw attention to the magazine’s non-payment of its freelance contributors. The hashtag saw increased activity again earlier this week after the magazine threw its annual Power 100 gala dinner, inspiring angry tweets from writers who have still not been paid for their work.
You can read more details about the NWU’s campaign in their president’s latest column on the NWU website.
2018 National Magazine Awards submissions open
Have you written a great piece of magazine journalism this year? If your publisher isn’t planning to enter it for a National Magazine Award, you should consider entering it yourself… and once again you’ll get a discount on your entry fees.
Entries for the 41st annual National Magazine Awards opened this week and the Freelancer Support Fund is available for the second year in a row. The National Media Awards Foundation implemented the fund last year to help freelancers with the cost of submission. The fund allows freelancers to submit their first two entries for $50 each — a 50 percent discount on the regular rate. The regular $100 rate will apply to any further submission entered after the first two.
The discounted rate applies to all entries for the National Magazine Award’s 18 writing and visual award categories. The creator of each winning entry will receive a $1000 cash prize.
Remember, fees paid for award submissions are a freelance business expense and are therefore tax deductible. The submission deadline for the National Magazine Awards is January 22, 2018. For more information, check out the National Magazine Awards website.
Submissions also opened this month for the National Media Awards Foundation’s 3rd annual Digital Publishing Awards. This year there are 24 categories, including three new awards for individual creators — best fiction, best science and technology story, and best photo storytelling. Gold medal winners in all individual categories will receive a $500 cash prize.
The Freelancer Support Fund is also available for Digital Publishing Awards entries. The deadline for submissions is February 2, 2018. More information about the awards can be found on the Digital Publishing Awards website.
