Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Jan. 24–30, 2012

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:

• CBC dismantling LP, CD archives [Globe and Mail] (via @JacqValencia)
• Chantal Hébert: Twitter is not a window to the world — it’s a mirror [J-Source]
• That Was Then, This Is Now: Dale Brazao [Ryerson Review blog] (via @stephanieie)
• Telecommuting less popular in Canada than other countries: Survey [Montreal Gazette/Postmedia News]
• Notes upon a slight retreat from the front lines of news: Dan Leger reflects on more than 35 years in the Canadian media industry [Chronicle Herald]
• Writing Snack Time Survey – Results are in! Lots of fun: Pam McGoldrick surveyed Atwood, Barclay others about what they nibble while they scribble [PM-Poet Writer] (via @kmgovier)

From the U.S. and beyond:

• 5 provocative ideas sparked by women in media [Poynter] (via @jayrosen_nyu)
• Facebook Subscribe for Journalists: What Works and What Doesn’t [Mashable] (via @gloriajchang)
• David Skok: Aggregation is deep in journalism’s DNA [Nieman Lab]
• Columbia J-School and Stanford Eng Nab $30M Joint Gift for Media Innovation From Helen Gurley Brown [All Things D] (via @romenesko)
• Online Ambitions, and a Dash of Real Estate, Drive Newspaper Deals [New York Times] (via @NiemanReports)
• The self-epublishing bubble [Guardian UK] (via @carrletta)
• Locked in the Ivory Tower: Why JSTOR Imprisons Academic Research [The Atlantic] (via @brainpicker)

From Story Board last week:

• Smart on the page, smart on the screen—smart for the writers?: According to this recent Postmedia News article, it’s getting harder to fund documentaries in Canada. So the kind of partnership The Walrus and High Fidelity HDTV have announced—making documentaries “inspired” by Walrus stories and broadcasting them on High Fidelity’s eqhd channel and on WalrusTV—might be what the industry needs to continue putting our non-fiction stories on film. But, being ever-curious about compensation for freelancers, we wanted to know: who, if anyone, is paying the writers for providing that inspiration?
• Despite delays, a best practices guide for the Canadian magazine industry is on its way: There are some things that are right about the magazine industry in Canada and some things that need changing. With that in mind, and with what appears to be a goal to establish shared standards, three groups—the Professional Writers Association of Canada, Magazines Canada, and the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors—have been working together on a best practices guide for the Canadian magazine industry.

Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca.