Au revoir, Rue Frontenac?

  Rue Frontenac launched in winter 2009 as website for locked-out workers at the Journal de Montreal, offering union information on the conflict between the paper and its unionized workers that began in January 2009. The site also posts general news, offering those locked-out journalists an outlet for their work. A print edition of Rue […]

Posted on May 19, 2011 at 2:05 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , , ,

Journalists need to brush up on business knowledge, report says

Freelancers have perhaps always known more about the business of journalism than their permanently employed counterparts. But now, at least according to an extensive report from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, all journalists need to educate themselves about where their pay cheques are coming from. This story about the report in the […]

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 2:09 pm by editor · One Comment · Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Final decision handed down in latest Robertson class action suit

For better or worse, the ongoing series of “Robertson v. _____” cases continues. On May 2, a final decision was handed down in the case of “Robertson v. Proquest, Cedrom, Toronto Star Newspapers, Rogers and Canwest.” (This decision comes after a tentative settlement reached this January.) Heather Robertson and Kirk Baert of the firm Koskie […]

Posted on May 16, 2011 at 1:04 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Content farm spoof hits its mark

Content farming, as a web-based business model, is going through a tough time. Increased scrutiny from media critics and frustrated web users is targeting sites like Mahalo, which had to significantly decrease its staff after Google made its algorithm change, and the various online properties owned by Demand Media. Some people also include the Huffington […]

Posted on April 29, 2011 at 11:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: ,

St. Joseph Media keeps mum about Torontoist plans

By Ian Harvey Three weeks after the announcement Torontoist had got hitched to St. Joseph Media, there’s a cone of silence on what the future holds for the newlyweds. Attempts by Story Board to interview the principals involved, Torontoist publisher Ken Hunt and St. Joe’s president Doug Knight, received short email responses or were ignored […]

Posted on April 5, 2011 at 10:13 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , ,

CWG gets its writers on the Ontario design community’s radar

The Canadian Writers Group has signed on as the official Content Sponsor for the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario. It’s a unique opportunity for the literary agency, says CWG’s Derek Finkle. “Sponsoring an organization like this is a way of spreading the word about what we do, in an effective and targeted way.” CWG will […]

Posted on April 4, 2011 at 9:12 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , ,

La Presse to go digital-only

In the face of declining print subscriptions and optimistic praise for digital publications such as The Daily, Montreal daily La Presse has announced it intends to move to an online-only format within three to five years. It will be the first major daily newspaper to carry out such a transition. As part of its multi-million-dollar […]

Posted on March 14, 2011 at 12:33 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , ,

Longing for long form

As it gets tougher and tougher for journalists to successfully pitch long-form pieces to traditional publications — without mostly writing them first — other options are opening up.

Posted on March 3, 2011 at 2:49 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , ,

Publishing What the World a Search Engine Wants

Thrown into the spotlight by Google’s recently declared update targeting the practice of content farming,  so-called info factories and their presence online is impossible to ignore. And for freelancers looking for a reliable source of income, however modest, the work they offer can be enticing. Part of the February 27 episode of CBC’s Sunday Edition […]

Posted on March 1, 2011 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , ,

Update: Editors respond to VIDA stats on female writers

Recent stats from VIDA that showed how few women are getting their work published in literary magazines and journals had us and many others asking questions but coming up with few answers. Now, we hear from the people who decide what makes it into those publications. Elissa Strauss at The Sisterhood blog sent letters to […]

Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , , ,