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:

• CMG registers as a third party in the federal election [CMG]
• PWAC Chat: All about setting fees [Storify] (via @SueHorner)
• What freelance work looks like in Germany vs. Canada [J-Source]
• You can boost Indigenous reporting — here’s how [Ricochet]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• Here’s 3 micropayment platforms to help fund the future of news [Journalism.co.uk]
• BuzzFeed Founder Jonah Peretti: "I Don't Think A Union Is Right" For Staff [BuzzFeed]
• Are Podcasts the New Blogs? [The Freelancer]
• 4 tips for dealing with discouragement [Freelancers Union]
• Don’t Give Up: 5 Motivating Tips for New Freelance Writers [The Write Life]
• Who’s the leader behind the union moves at Gawker, VICE and Salon? [Poynter]
• Will The Washington Post’s New Talent Network Become the Uber of Freelancing? [The Freelancer]
• Report: Upworthy's Lefty Owners Scared Employees Out of Unionization [Gawker]
• VICE voluntarily recognizes workers’ union [Poynter]

 

Last week on Story Board:

• Yellow Pages Canada offering content mill rates for app writing work: CMG Freelance is advising freelance writers across Canada not to accept work from Yellow Pages that pays in the range of 6 to 9 cents per word...
• Levelling Up as a Freelancer (or How to Spot a Turkey of a Gig): Do you know when to turn down a contract? Wait. Turn down? What?! If the very thought of turning down work seems outrageous and counterproductive, you need to read on...

 

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.