Why I killed my newsroom career
I still want to be a journalist. I quit my last full-time job in October and started freelancing. I sell single malt scotch whisky at a Scottish public house on weekends for extra cash. I have enough energy to develop interests I didn’t study in university. I’ve started a podcast about outdoor adventure sports. I don’t have an office job. I don’t have a salary. I don’t have the career I planned for. I’m fine with that. I am happier. I have control.
A note from the departing Story Board editor
It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly a decade, but I became the editor of Story Board in July of 2012. I was fully freelance at that point, fitting writing assignments in between snack time, loads of laundry, school drop-offs, and all of the other work involved in raising two small children. Now, after nearly […]
CMG Freelance members gain access to National NewsMedia Council support
As part of a new agreement between the two organizations, CMG Freelance members are now able to access the National NewsMedia Council’s pre-publication support and ethics advice. The council is offering consulting and support via phone or email to freelance journalists who need ethical advice on sensitive stories. The council was established in 2015 as […]
Freelancers reach settlement agreement with Ebony magazine
The National Writers Union has reached a settlement agreement with Ebony magazine over its failure to pay freelancers for their work. The union reported today on its website that the settlement means 45 freelance writers, editors and designers will get paid the $80,000 they are collectively owed by the magazine. The NWU, an American trade union that […]
National Writers Union settles freelance non-payment grievance
The National Writers Union settled a grievance last week on behalf of twenty freelancers who are owed money by the American science magazine Nautilus. The NWU, an American trade union that represents freelance writers, published an open letter to Nautilus in December stating that the magazine was in breach of multiple contracts and owed a […]
Freelance Isn’t Free Act becomes law in New York City
Yesterday was a historic day for freelancers. The Freelance Isn’t Free Act, which was spearheaded by the Freelancers Union during a year-long campaign last year, became law in New York City. The #FreelanceIsntFree Act started with freelancers and the institution they built. That’s the power of a union. — Sara Horowitz (@Sara_Horowitz) May 15, 2017 […]
New York City “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act passes
In a landmark victory, New York City Council has voted to protect freelancers against client nonpayment. The Freelance Isn’t Free bill was spearheaded by the Freelancers Union and passed today after a year-long campaign. It requires clients to use contracts for freelance work, allows freelancers to file complaints with the Department of Labor Standards against non-paying clients, and […]
Improved CBC freelance contract coming soon
The CMG has negotiated a new collective agreement that will see improved working conditions for CBC freelance contributors. The pending freelancer issues that we reported on late last year were resolved at a negotiating session in mid-December. The new agreement will see base rates for freelancers increase at the same rate as salaries will increase for employees […]
2014: A New Era for Freelancers, Solidarity and Unionism
By datejie cheko green, Canadian Media Guild As freelancers we cherish our independence. That’s why few could be faulted for mistaking “freelancer’s union” as a dictionary illustration of an oxymoron. Yet we’ve just come through an unprecedented year of shared trials (as foretold and reported by the editor of this publication in 2013: The Year […]
Le Devoir: TC Media freelance contract changed
The Montreal paper Le Devoir is reporting that TC Media – publisher of such magazines as Elle Canada, Style at Home and Canadian Living – has revised the contentious freelance contract that they introduced earlier this year. That contract demanded full copyright and a waiver of moral rights from its freelance contributors and provoked a widespread outcry from freelance […]
