Off the Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Feb. 6–12, 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:

• Are journalism schools graduating too many students? [OpenFile Vancouver] (via @mastmeghan)
• China denies visa to reporter travelling with Canadian PM [Epoch Times/NTD TV]
• Michelle Siu wins Tom Hanson photojournalism award [J-Source]
• Second half 2011 FAS FAX results show 4.6% over all circ decline [Canadian Magazines]
• AUX TV announces Canada’s first tablet-exclusive music magazine [AUX TV]
• Thomson Reuters merger has yet to pay off for investors [Vancouver Sun]

From the U.S. and beyond:

• How newspapers blew it in the mid-1990s [JimRomenesko.com]
• Significant and silly at BuzzFeed [New York Times] (via @ckrewson)
• Sky News clamps down on Twitter use [Guardian UK] (via @billdinTO)
• Sorkin’s Newsroom plans premiere, adds to vast history of fake TV networks [Time.com Entertainment] (via @romenesko)
• Publishers are flubbing the iPad [Reflections of a Newsosaur] (via @PBSMediaShift)
• BBC “got it wrong on women” [Guardian UK] (via @TaraBradford)
• 2012 World Press Photo winners: “View the entire collection of winning images from the 55th World Press Photo Contest. The winners were selected from over 100,000 images submitted to the contest.”
• Words journalists use that people never say [Idea Peepshow]

From Story Board last week:

• The Canadian Media Guild fights on behalf of its members in negotiations with The Canadian Press: When the company you’re negotiating with starts off by calling its financial situation “dire,” it’s probably safe to assume you’re in for a long and bumpy ride. That’s the message that the Canadian Media Guild heard from to The Canadian Press late last year, when it began negotiating with the company on behalf of its members. Their contract was expiring at the end of 2011, and CP said that it was looking at cutting wages, benefits, pension, and premiums, even after 10 Guild members had left their jobs—some voluntarily, some not.
• Letter from CP Ottawa bureau workers expresses anger, disappointment over contract negotiations: Our post earlier this week about the contract negotiations between the Canadian Media Guild, on behalf of its members, and The Canadian Press focused on what both those bodies are asking for, but what about the employees and their voice in all this? More than two months into negotiations, and after the recent appointment of a conciliator for the talks, the CP Ottawa bureau’s workers have written a letter to their colleagues across the country, expressing their frustration and asking for solidarity.

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