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: 

• Tips for a newbie freelancer [J-Source]
• One year in, Twitter’s Canadian arm strives to define itself [Globe and Mail]
• 5 ways I grew my business using LinkedIn [Freshbooks] (via @LuigiBenetton)
• Nobody’s a Critic. Who holds journalists to account in Canada? [The Walrus]
• What’s wrong with journalism education? [J-Source]
  
• Fresh faces emerge as winners of NPAC National Pictures of the Year competition [J-Source]
• Organizing precarious workers: Unions think sector-wide to help freelancers [Rabble]

From the U.S. and beyond:

• The Power of Slow: How Busy Freelancers Enhance Productivity by Working Smarter [Contently]
• Seven reasons why you should raise your fees starting today [International Freelancers Academy] (via @LuigiBenetton)
• 5 Reasons You’re Not Ready to Self-Publish Your Book [The Write Life]
• 5 reasons freelancers undercharge for their work [Freelancers Union]
• ‘Reasons to Date a Reporter’ sound more like reasons NOT to date a reporter [Poynter]
• More than 40,000 magazine jobs have vanished since 2003 [Poynter]
• Firm puts Vice in its sights for intern class action [Capital New York] (via @mediagazer)
• 5 Good Reasons Why You Should Join a Professional Association [Culpwrit] (via @eac_acr)
• Content used to be king. Now it’s the joker. [Medium] (via @sladurantaye)
• Byliner, an Online Publisher of Long-Form Writing, Seeks Partners [New York Times] 
  
• BBC News Division To Cut 500 Jobs [Forbes] (via @NiemanLab)
• 9 Things You Don’t Want to Admit You Miss About the Office [Contently]

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.