Freelance Solidarity Project
@FSP_NWU
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The Freelance Solidarity Project is a union of digital media workers raising labor standards across our industry. Part of @paythewriter.
Joined January 2020
In light of recent layoffs across the media industry, we understand that some workers might be forced into freelancing, or struggling to find health care while caught between jobs. If that's you, then check out our guide to freelancing & health care:
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BREAKING: the New York State Senate has passed the Freelance Isn't Free Act (S8369B), which will guarantee basic workplace protections for thousands of New York's freelancers. Thank you @agounardes for fighting for freelancers across the state. On to the Assembly!.
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WE DID IT! The New York State Assembly has passed the Freelance Isn't Free Act (A9368A), which will guarantee basic workplace protections for thousands of freelancers. Thank you to our sponsor @HarryBBronson for fighting for freelancers and taking us across the finish line!.
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in the capitalist labor system, contracts are negotiated by two separate, unequally important groups: the workers, who create all value, and the bosses, who attempt to steal it. these are our stories #WGAStrong
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Today we're calling on all print and digital publications to instate graduated payment schedules and rapid reimbursement policies to help freelancers during the pandemic. Here's what that means:
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since our freelance rates database launched last week we've received more than 100 new entries! we now have FOUR HUNDRED RATES from writers, photographers, audio and video producers, illustrators, animators and other freelance digital media workers
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freelancers can play a vital role during a strike! here’s what @newyorkerunion is asking of us:
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If @newyorkerunion has to strike to get a fair contract after 2.5 years of bargaining, freelancers will have their back! Over 170 of us have committed to stand in solidarity and pledge not to cross a picket line:
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We're thrilled to announce a new set of standards for freelancers @thenation, including guaranteed timely payment, pay minimums, and access to the @paythewriter grievance process. Organizing freelancers can be challenging, but we're getting it done. ✊
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We're standing in solidarity with @NYTimesGuild as freelancers by pledging to honor the picket line if the union walks out on Thursday. Join us!. Sign our freelancers’ pledge:
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Tomorrow is May Day, but today is #PayDay! Our brand-new website has nearly 300 rates for freelance media work at dozens of companies! Join the rate-sharing party from 1-3PM EST today by adding your recent freelance rates to our anonymous survey:
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It's incredibly disappointing to see Governor Hochul refuse to enact basic protections for New York's 100,000s of freelancers. Rest assured: We'll be back to fix this.
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We support the PRO Act and here's why: . Our membership ratified this statement, with 97% of those who responded voting yes.
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Over the past year, members of @FSP_NWU, @paythewriter, and @theintercept have been working on a set of shared principles for freelance digital media workers. Today, we are proud to share our unilateral announcement of those principles, in full here:
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Freelancing for the first time? We’ve got your back: This guide brings together dozens of resources from around the web to help you write pitches, win grant funding, track taxes, and most importantly, organize with your fellow freelancers.
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BREAKING: The Illinois Senate just passed the Freelance Worker Protection Act! Adapted from NY's Freelance Isn't Free Act, the bill will enshrine necessary protections for IL's freelancers, as well as freelancers working for IL-based employers. 🥳.
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Please take a few minutes to fill out our new RATE-SHARING SURVEY! Whether you’re a photographer, writer, editor, illustrator, producer or any kind of freelance media worker, let’s share what we were paid and see what that looks like in aggregate: .
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seriously if you’re a freelancer and have questions about why solidarity is important across our industry and between staff and freelancers, or how to support striking workers, or what it means to cross a picket line, we’re here for you!.
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“constructive criticism from colleagues who care, delivered respectfully and through the right channels” . so…a letter from NYT contributors to the standards desk, for instance?.
Memo from Joe Kahn to NYT staff responding to yesterday's letter re: trans coverage. Times leadership says the paper "will not tolerate, participation by Times journalists in protests organized by advocacy groups or attacks on colleagues on social media and other public forums."
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New York State has passed Freelance Isn't Free. again!. The protections in the law are the same as last year: every freelancer deserves the right to a written contract, to be paid on time, and to be free from retaliation. Ball's in your court, @GovKathyHochul. Sign the bill!
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This was a brutal week, with dozens of media workers losing their jobs in the midst of a pandemic. Ownership created this crisis of cyclical layoffs, but together we can rebuild what they've broken and come out somewhere stronger and more just. Solidarity to our colleagues ❤️.
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FSP-NWU asked writers to share what they’ve been paid for book criticism, and how long each project took them. Out of the 91 reports we received, 26 writers reported being paid less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for their work. Help us fight to raise pay!
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Freelancers must organize to resist these needless and cruel austerity measures. Besides being fundamental to a just society, libraries and other public cultural infrastructure are crucial to freelancers' work.
This is gutting. I absolutely rely on @nypl to do my job. Without it, I'm not sure how anyone in the city without access to a university library will be able to do in-depth research.
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1000+ @nytimes contributors have signed the letter critiquing the paper's coverage of trans people on journalistic grounds. The Times cravenly dismissed this legitimate critique as "advocacy," and lied to avoid engaging with the substance. A response:
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In case you missed it: FSP asks all @nytimes freelancers to withhold work in solidarity during the @NYTimesGuild work stoppage tomorrow. Read more about our stance, and sign our pledge to respect the picket line! .
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as a union of freelancers, we stand in solidarity with @newyorkerunion! and we’re here for any questions on what honoring a picket line looks like for freelance media workers.
Our strike is imminent, and we’ve launched a new site where you can learn more. @NewYorker runs on union labor, and there are as many reasons to fight for a fair contract as there are members of our shop. In our own words, learn why we are ready to strike:
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In 2024, freelance book critics are fighting to be paid as much per word as Ernest Hemingway made in 1936. A dollar a word shouldn’t be seen as lavish—it would help critics make a living wage. Help FSP-NWU fight for better rates!
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This is why we're organizing around generative AI, and why one of our platform principles is that we believe creators deserve to be in full control of our work, how it is used, and what we are paid for it. You can read the full platform here:
This is an important point-- in some cases the rights to stories written by freelancers revert back to the writers after a period of time. Are these publications licensing that content, which they don't own, to OpenAI along with everything else? Seems like theft. cc @FSP_NWU.
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FSP members organized with other @NYTimes contributors to write this open letter (so far signed by 200+ contributors and 2000 other media workers and Times readers) condemning the paper’s unethical, biased coverage of trans and non-binary people.
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Strikes are big news right now. So why is so much media coverage of strikes so bad? Join our Zoom panel discussion with @grimkim @maximillian_alv @sarahljaffe and @TweetsByBraden on 6/20 at 12pm ET. RSVP:
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We've got a general info session tonight! Sign up at this link to learn what FSP is all about: Motivation via FSP member @olivebrinker.
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We've renewed and updated our agreement with @DefectorMedia setting standards for their freelancers! There are now even stronger indemnification protections for freelancers, which should (and WILL!) be industry standard.
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NY freelancers — we're having an (in-person!) happy hour! Come to Washington Commons tomorrow at 6 PM to have some pizza and talk to other freelancers. We'll ALSO have these great, long-awaited, and very affordable FSP hats available.
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Want to learn more about FSP? We've got an info session this coming Tuesday! Sign up here: Inspiration courtesy member @michael_deforge.
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Staff and freelance contributors can and must stand together to change our industry ✊.
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We're thrilled to present a unilateral announcement with @defectormedia outlining a set of shared principles for freelance digital media workers! (Or as they put it, a "Plan For Not Fucking Over Freelancers.") Complete doc here:
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this is an unacceptable way to treat freelancers! people's time is valuable, especially freelancers who can't take other paid work while they're doing these projects.
I just spent five months working on a (solicited!) essay about how unions are good for a big fancy publication, only to have it killed five days before it was supposed to run because it “felt too activist-y.” My brother in Christ, did you not Google me first.
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Last year, NY passed the Freelance Isn't Free Act, which would establish wild new protections like "making sure people get paid on time." But Governor Hochul vetoed the bill at the last minute. Join us on June 1 as we head to Albany to get what we're owed.
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AND: All freelancers, not just @nytimes freelancers, can and should sign on! When we stand together, we win ✊.
In case you missed it: FSP asks all @nytimes freelancers to withhold work in solidarity during the @NYTimesGuild work stoppage tomorrow. Read more about our stance, and sign our pledge to respect the picket line! .
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"We shouldn’t accept as a given the idea that, as freelancers, we don’t have certain rights: that we can’t collectively bargain, that we can’t have unions, that we can’t have contracts." -@davehill77
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imagine having to ask for your own paycheck at a full-time job! this is straight up stealing from freelancers, and one of many reasons we are fighting to pass Freelance Isn't Free.
if I could bill an hourly rate for the amount of time I spend chasing paychecks and accurate 1099 forms I would be a few thousand dollars richer each year.
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New York State claims to be pro-labor, but the Assembly still hasn't taken action to guarantee basic workplace protections for the state's thousands of freelance workers. @joinjoyner and @carlheastie, pass the Freelance Isn't Free Act—it's PAST DUE!
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Appallingly unethical behavior by @NYTimes — and just the latest example of the special hazards Palestinian freelancers face, subject to politically motivated silencing alongside “normal” freelancer precarities.
After years of covering the Gaza Strip as a freelance photojournalist for the New York Times, I was informed via an abrupt phone call from the US outlet that they will no longer work with me in the future.
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Don't forget to RSVP for next Tuesday's panel: on the role of union writers in building the labor movement and bettering labor journalism. With @GrimKim @maximillian_alv @sarahljaffe and @TweetsByBraden 6/20 // 12pm ET // on Zoom
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FSP stands unequivocally against racism and police brutality. Join us in contributing to a local bail fund:.
Standing in solidarity w/ communities in Minneapolis & Louisville and beyond. We encourage support to our partners providing bail support for people arrested at demonstrations. #FreeThemAll . @MNFreedomFund: @BLMLouisville:
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No one should be waiting this long to get paid for their work! This is exactly why we led the fight to pass Freelance Isn't Free in New York, and why we're going to get it passed in cities and states across the country.
What’s the longest you’ve waited to be paid as a freelancer? For me it was 90+ days by check. (Then the check bounced!).
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"Low rates mean only rich people can afford to review books. What a bleak idea." —Erin Somers . Book critics are tired of being paid a pittance by outlets that undervalue and exploit their labor. Join FSP-NWU in calling for $1 a word as the new floor for rates!
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We're thrilled to announce @JewishCurrents' new standards for working with freelancers, established in collaboration with FSP.
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Last call to RSVP for tomorrow's panel with @maximillian_alv @GrimKim @sarahljaffe and @TweetsByBraden. Can't make it? Let us know below: what do you want to ask these three journalists about the place of reporting in the growing labor movement?
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We just launched our new anonymous Rate-Sharing Survey for freelance media workers! Please fill it out and help us create a one-stop shop for rates across the industry and better understand what we need to fight for. Knowledge is power!
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Freelancers! Add your name here to show solidarity with @newyorkerunion and commit not to cross the picket line if they go on strike: More here:
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"Outlets like @HellGateNY & @DefectorMedia are trying to energize the [media] ecosystem — populate it with outlets where reporters & journalists do have power & some level of control to ultimately strengthen all of our work & all of our jobs & our workplaces." .- @estherxlwang 🔥
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Staff and freelance media union solidarity (and perfect weather for patio drinks) @labornotes #LaborNotes2022
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This #MayDay, FSP-NWU members are joining over 500 fellow New Yorkers at Washington Square Park to demand respect and dignity for ALL workers!. We are here to fight for every New York worker, those excluded, those who toil in homes, on the streets, and behind bars.
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love to see what our friends at @newyorkerunion @p4kunion @ars_union have achieved and excited to continue building solidarity and raising standards across the industry!.
BREAKING: We have averted a strike! After more than two and a half years of negotiations, @newyorkerunion, @p4kunion, and @ars_union are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement in principle on our first contracts. Here are some of our wins:
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The Freelance Solidarity Project stands in solidarity with @InsiderUnion and asks all freelancers not to cross the picket line!.
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No one deserves to be treated this way at work. It wouldn't be acceptable to just not pay W-2 employees, so why does it happen to freelancers?.
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Calling all present, past and potential @theintercept freelancers! We're holding a workshop about The Intercept's new principles for freelance contributors, how to use them and where they fit in the broader picture of media worker organizing. RSVP here:
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This pandemic isn't going anywhere, so we're once again calling on all print and digital publications to instate graduated payment schedules and rapid reimbursement policies to help freelancers get paid. Here's what that means:
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reminder that, under New York City's Freelance Isn't Free Act, you are owed payment for freelance work within 30 days — a standard that applies even if your employer is based in New York and you aren't
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FSP-NWU's report on retaliation against Western media workers for expressing solidarity with Palestine — or for urging more accurate, accountable coverage of the Israeli military assault on Gaza — is live:
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📣📣📣Happy May Day! Today we launch the #FreelanceSolidarityChallenge. Starting today, for the next year, we invite all freelancer media workers to submit your project rates to FSP’s rate-sharing database. Sign up here:.
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“We don’t need any more writers as solitary heroes. We need a heroic writers’ movement—assertive, militant, pugnacious. That is our mission and our risk: we have chosen it. It is also our power: we have earned it." - Toni Morrison, 1981 . Happy May Day via our @nushma.
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FSP stands in solidarity with our unionizing siblings @SBWorkersUnited Watch today's Schulz hearing along with us heeeeere.
The Senate vs. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is about to begin! Partners are streaming the hearing LIVE on twitch!
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Sorry that we asked the NYT a difficult and discomfiting question. Just trying to do journalism over here.
It’s very striking and disheartening that a letter pleading for better coverage is being deliberately interpreted by a handful of prominent journalists as a demand for no coverage.
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UPDATE: Freelance Isn't Free has passed through the Assembly Ways and Means Committee! That means it can come up for a floor vote and pass before the end of the legislative session. Thank you @CarlHeastie, @JoinJoyner, and @HarryBBronson for moving this crucial bill forward.
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From @adamjohnsonCHI: "The report, of course, did not get much coverage from the same media it was criticizing. But it is an essential document: a real-time, thorough, sober case study on flagrant liberal institutional hypocrisy." Read it at
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, elite liberal institutions had no problem picking a side. After 37,000 Palestinians are killed by Israel—things are now more complicated.
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The Freelance Solidarity Project stands in solidarity with .@wiredunion and pledges to not cross the picket line on July 12-13, should the union need to strike to win a fair first contract with @CondeNast.
*WALKOUT ALERT* @WiredUnion members are prepared to walk out for Prime Day on July 12 and 13th unless @CondeNast agrees to a fair contract. And we need our supporters to stand with us 🔥🧵
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Why is coverage of strikes so bad? Outlets don't hire beat reporters to cover labor, so journalists don't know the basics, says @sarahljaffe. Media doesn't value working people's stories, agrees @GrimKim. "You have to give a shit, and if you don't give a shit, we can tell.".
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We're back from @labornotes and ready for another hot labor summer! S/o to all our new comrades in the struggle - may our paths of solidarity continue to cross! #LaborNotes2024
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Today we went to New York Assembly Speaker @CarlHeastie's office with @freelancersu to deliver an invoice for the overdue passage of the statewide #FreelanceIsntFree Act. The bill is ready to pass the Senate, but we need Speaker Heastie and the Assembly to act NOW!
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The Freelance Solidarity Project stands together with @WGAWest!. As freelance media workers, we understand all too well what happens when the companies that profit off of creative labor succeed in devaluing that labor & dividing their workforce. Power to the writers! #WGAStrong
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ICYMI: Join FSP, @WGAEast & @newsguild next Tuesday 6/20 at 12pm ET for a barnstormer of a panel with @GrimKim @sarahljaffe @TweetsByBraden & @maximillian_alv about tropes and trip-ups in uninformed and anti-union labor coverage. RSVP!
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Happy May Day! All workers deserve a union, including freelancers, gig workers, contractors, and anyone suffering from workplace precarity. ✊♥️.
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good morning! another great day to peruse the 440+ freelance rates in our database and add yours too. bet we can get to 500 by the end of the week!
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It can be difficult for freelancers to advocate for better working conditions—we're often isolated, and excluded from traditional labor protections. That's why we've laid out these best practices, a baseline for how freelancers should be treated at work:
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strikes get the goods!!!!!!.
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We're thrilled to have collaborated with @pipewrenchmag to produce this unilateral announcement that sets the terms of freelance labor at their brand-new online magazine!
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📣📣📣Next week we launch the #FreelanceSolidarityChallenge. Starting May 1, for the next year, we invite all freelancer media workers to submit your project rates to FSP’s rate-sharing database. Sign up here:.
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Are you a media worker concerned about or facing retaliation & censorship? Learn what your rights are and how we can organize on the job. RSVP at to join us on Thursday, Jan 4 at 8pm ET.
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so what is a freelance media workers union and why do I need one? join us for a free panel on 3/9 w/@IWWFJU @studyhallxyz to hear the case for unionization, solidarity & collective action, featuring @zoesullnews @NCaplanBricker @jilnotjill @Kleekamp .RSVP:
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Impacted by recent layoffs at @NPR, @VICENews, @BuzzFeedNews, @voxdotcom, or elsewhere? If you're figuring out freelancing for the first time, check out our guide to resources for pitching, finding gigs, tracking expenses + ending freelancer exploitation
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"Union journalism is better journalism," says @maximillian_alv, "I can't submit a bad labor story to my union newsroom—they'll call me on it.".
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Calling all entertainment journos! This editorial statement is a solidarity tool developed by critic/editor members of FSP for digital media workers to use in support of our striking WGA/SAG siblings. More info on this & other member-led initiatives here:
For folks in entertainment media wondering how to cover film and TV during the strike: The folks at @FSP_NWU put together this wonderful guide on how to show solidarity in your coverage. Check it out:
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Worried about mass layoffs, publication closures, & how the collapse of the media industry undermines democracy? It’s time to organize. Join us & our panelists on April 9, 7pm ET, to discuss what happened & what we can do to fix it. RSVP here:
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solidarity with everyone laid off by Netflix! no one should have to deal with this level of constant precarity.
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The media industry is in crisis; are worker-owned media coops the way out? Join us on June 18 for a hybrid (Zoom+NYC) panel and workshop on all things coop, featuring worker-owners from @HellGateNY @DefectorMedia @MaxFunHQ @Time_of_day RSVP:
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