Freelancer or employee? Which are you?
The BBC has been under fire this month for its practice of paying presenters and other contributors as freelancers. The Guardian reported yesterday that staff contracts will be offered to many of these individuals following a review of the BBC’s tax policies. The move is in response to accusations that the broadcaster has been complicit in […]
The Born Freelancer on casting aside doubt
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. This month I celebrate my first anniversary writing for you as The Born Freelancer. My thanks to all of you who have read […]
Q&A: The Born Freelancer talks with Sam Levene about the life and times of CBC Radio drama
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. As a follow up to my previous post about the death of CBC Radio drama I contacted CMG freelancer Sam Levene whose excellent […]
The Born Freelancer says goodbye to CBC Radio drama
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. When this year is reviewed many significant deaths will be noted. None feel more deserving of attention today than the announced termination of […]
Profile of CBC’s Kirstine Stewart continues CWG’s nonfiction ebook series
All eyes are on the CBC after the federal government announced it would cut 10 per cent of its budget. It’s likely Kirstine Stewart, the broadcaster’s executive vice-president in charge of English programming, is feeling the weight of that gaze more than anyone else at the CBC. In a story that first appeared in Toronto […]
How will the CBC cuts affect you?
The news that the CBC would lose 10 per cent of its budget — $115 million over three years — was worrying to both CBC employees and the millions of Canadians who watch, listen and read what it produces. But now we know who will feel those cuts most acutely. The details of the CBC […]
Tune in: Radio freelancing tips from the Born Freelancer
This column 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. Today’s working freelancers need to have as many skill sets as they can comfortably manage in order to pursue their storytelling on as many platforms […]
CBC Books launches new hub for writers
Canada Writes is “a new home for original writing,” according a press release the CBC issued today. It’s a place where “all kinds of writers” can “have their work read, published and recognized by the entire country.” The site includes writing challenges (the current one is autobiography-related), workshops, and resources (links to writers’ organizations), and […]
Tim Knight on The National
Well, okay, Tim Knight wasn’t on The National. At least not lately. But Knight—who wrote, reported for, and produced the show in the ’70s—has a lot to say about its current state, and he wrote about it for J-Source. In summary, he thinks it stinks. Knight zeroes in on July 7 of this year, the […]
A freelancer, an undead dog, and the CBC
Every once in a while, a story comes along that goes beyond telling us one person’s experiences in freelancing and manages to encapsulate what working conditions are like for many freelance journalists working in Canada today. It shows trends in the business we’ve all seen but find hard to explain to friends and family who […]
