Guild Freelancers

Record turnout for Spring Training

Rebecca — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:47:46 +0000

by Rebecca Rosen Lum

Sometimes the most important thing a radio journalist can do is not to talk at all.

Ken Kobré led a packed session. (Sara Steffens)

Shooting video with an iPhone? Record interviews in the car — or better still, the closet.

As for magazine writing, a quick trip to New York to bond with editors over lunch (your treat) can pay off handsomely in assignments.

Participants gathered these and many more tips at the 2013 Spring Training for Journalists Saturday, held for the first time at San Francisco State University in partnership with the SFSU Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism.

A record 133 people turned out for the annual event, and many presenters stuck around to sit in on breakout sessions and listen to a keynote address by noted Bay Area journalist Carol Pogash.

Did you attend? Take our survey.

And why not, with presenters like Raul Ramirez, executive director of news and public affairs at KQED, investigative reporter and author Seth Rosenfeld, multi-award-winning health reporter Laurie Udesky and visual journalist (and Emmy nominee) Carrie Ching.

“Brilliant event from beginning to end,” participant Diane Harrigan said in an online post. “As a visual storyteller, I was especially interested in Mike Kepka‘s ‘Digital Storytelling on Deadline.’ Attendees received a rare look into the world of this award-winning genius . . . Solid advice and tips and tricks from the master.”

Kepka, the producer of “The City Exposed,” has won many awards and several regional Emmys for the weekly multimedia column, which appears in the Sunday Chronicle and on SFGate.com.

Journalist Janis Mara offered rave reviews for Ken Kobré‘s session on shooting video with an iPhone or Smartphone.

“He did this genius thing right away,” she said. “He asked each one of us to do a short video of our neighbor, (saying) ‘Just interview them and ask them their name and why they’re here.’ That totally broke the ice for me.”

Kobré teaches photojournalism and video journalism at SFSU. He is the author of “Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling,” and several other books. He is also the creator of the VideoPro Camera app for the iPhone. He drew an SRO crowd that spilled out into the hallway.

“The microphone in an iPhone needs to be a fist’s distance away from the source,” Kobré said. “But if you held it there, all you would see (in the video) is their mouth.” The solution? Take your source to the quietest place you can find for the interview (Real pros go into the closet, he said).

Independent media workers flocked to “The Business of Freelancing,” led by successful writers Dan Fost and Bill Snyder.

Decent pay is $1 a word for reporting, Snyder said, but he advised participants not to fixate too much on the per-word rate.

“What’s important is how much you make an hour,” he said. “Some projects take very little writing or research. If you can do a 500-word story in an hour or two, you can still make $150 an hour.”

Dan Fost’s schedule is a mix of primary news media clients, corporate clients, and teaching gigs. Fost, the author of the popular “Giants Past and Present,” also covers tech and the media, and writes regularly for San Francisco magazine. As a freelancer, he loves having the latitude to take on projects of his choosing.

Obtaining government documents through the Freedom of Information Act is not an end in itself, participants in Seth Rosenfeld’s session on public records learned. “You need a good inside source to go over the documents with you,” he said, explaining the records are usually rife with arcane terminology and references. Rosenfeld authored the best-selling “Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals and Reagan’s Rise to Power” (2012), based on government documents he fought hard to obtain over some 30 years.

Keynoter Carol Pogash has seldom taken “no” for an answer, and has also never hesitated to quit a job that didn’t sit right with her, she said. Some of her best scoops have come from reporter’s luck — being on the Bay Bridge when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit, for instance.

She has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, American Journalism Review and the PBS website “NextAvenue.” She has penned two books, “As Real as It Gets: The Life of a Hospital at the Center of the AIDS Epidemic” (1992), and “Seduced by Madness: The True Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case” (2009). She has reported the news for KQED-TV and consulted for “60 Minutes.” She produced a website before the dot-com boom.

She calls herself an “all-utility writer,” and told the audience versatility is not just desirable but a necessity in a rapidly evolving news industry.

“You’ve got to be able to pivot,” she said.

Great lineup for 2013 Spring Training

Rebecca — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:12:52 +0000

Davia Nelson of NPR’s The Kitchen Sisters demonstrates her technique at the 2010 Spring Training.

Be there Saturday, May 4 when Guild Freelancers throws its annual Spring Training for Journalists — an upbeat, daylong event that provides independent media workers with a rich palette of ideas and skills (You’ll find a detailed schedule at the end of this post).

Breakout sessions will hold a special appeal to freelancers, but also offer much of value to newsroom staffers and students, including:

Breaking into radio with Ben Trefny (KALW), Raul Ramirez (KQED) and Queena Kim (Marketplace)
Cell phone videojournalism with Ken Kobré
Advanced FOIA and public records, with Seth Rosenfeld (“Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals and Reagan’s Rise to Power“)
Creating great visuals, with Carrie Ching, formerly senior producer of multi-media for the Center for Investigative Reporting
Getting work into magazines, with editors of California, Afar, San Francisco, and California Lawyer
Multimedia on the cheap with Pulitzer Prize winner Kim Komenich
and much more.

Journalist and master of many media Carol Pogash will keynote with “The Unscripted Life,” or how a longtime Examiner staffer surprised herself and became a successful freelancer.

This year, we have a new partner — San Francisco State University’s Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism — and a new location: the SFSU main campus (Humanities Building, 3rd floor) at 1600 Holloway Ave.

Register now.

This year, we’re rolling out a special workshop for journalism students on finding, landing and making the most of internships.

For Guild and CWA members, admission is free but you must register in advance by emailing freelance@mediaworkers.org. The fee for non-members is $20 in advance or $25 at the door; the student rate is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Lunch and day-end reception are included. Questions? Email freelance@mediaworkers.org.

Become a member of Guild Freelancers.

Follow this link for parking and directions to the Spring Training 2013.

Finally! Discounted medical insurance

Rebecca — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 18:57:56 +0000

Photo: Alma Rose

By Bill Snyder, Assistant Unit Chair and Rebecca Rosen Lum, Unit Chair

After many false starts and frustrations, we have reached an agreement with a broker who will help members of the Guild Freelancers unit secure discounted health insurance. The program is now in place! Click this link to apply online (you must fill in all blanks, including membership number — any 5-digit number — and name of business, which can be your name or “self-employed”).

To be clear, this will be individual — not group — insurance. California law does not permit associations to obtain group coverage unless members work for a common employer (Yes, we believe there are a few exceptions, but we’re not one). Because the coverage will be on an individual basis, the pre-existing condition nonsense still applies.

Here’s how it works: Our broker, Association Health Plans, or AHP, will add our group to a very large risk pool made up of other groups. Armed with these high numbers, AHP then negotiates for the best possible rates with major providers, including

Aetna
Assurant
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Celtic
Cigna
Coventry
HealthNet
Humana
Pacificare
United HealthCare

Unfortunately, although it is listed on the AHP site, Kaiser is not one of the options, for the simple reason that the health care giant refuses to negotiate — with this or other brokers.

We have talked to a number of groups that contract with AHP and they report discounts of 20 percent or more on coverage. AHP will also help members who have problems with the provider.

AHP (with supervision by unit officers) will be preparing marketing materials outlining the benefit, and explaining how to start the process of obtaining coverage. Those materials will be sent to everyone in the Unit. But only members in good standing will be eligible to participate, so please make sure your dues are up to date.

Meanwhile, our existing dental and vision coverage is still in place, and being used to great affect by members. This will not change. Unlike many other insurers, ours did not raise our rates in the new year. We are now exploring other types of coverage, such as long-term care and liability insurance, with AHP.

We are excited about the new health care benefit, and urge everyone to examine the materials closely. Share the good news with your friends and colleagues!

Save the date!

Rebecca — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:02:44 +0000

Photo by Sara Steffens

Guild Freelancers holds its Spring Training for Journalists Saturday, May 4 at San Francisco State University. We’ve got several new breakout sessions and a new partner: the SFSU journalism department. An all-star lineup of presenters includes Dan Fost (“Giants Past and Present”) and Pulitzer Prize winners Seth Rosenfeld (“Subversives”) and Kim Komenich. Stay tuned for details!

Photo: Davia Nelson, one of NPR’s The Kitchen Sisters (“The Hidden World of Girls,” “The Making of … “), shows how develop rapport in an audio interview at the 2010 Spring Training for Journalists.

Tax expert to visit Thursday

Rebecca — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:36:13 +0000

Join us at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at the Guild, when self-employment tax expert Joe Weatherby will tell us how to keep more of what we’ve earned.

Joe has been preparing taxes for artists, writers and self-employed folks for more than 25 years.

He will let us in on what’s new for the year 2012, including increases in the alternative minimum tax exemption health savings accounts, and “significant changes” to schedules C, E and F.

Be there, and bring all your questions. The Guild is at 433 Natoma St. between Fifth and Sixth streets in San Francisco. The nearest BART station is Powell Street, and there is a parking garage at Fifth and Mission.

RSVP please to freelance@mediaworkers.org.

Update on L.A. Spring Training

Rebecca — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:04:56 +0000

Living or working in the southland? Don’t miss the Guild’s Spring Training for Journalists at Los Angeles City College Saturday, Feb. 9.

Refresh your skills, rekindle your enthusiasm and reboot your career in a day of traditional and new media workshops designed by and for journalists.

Top-notch presenters in our field will lead sessions on

Data visualization;
Using social media to drive traffic to your work;
Trial reporting;
Reporting on health care reform;
and much more.

For a complete schedule, map and other information, follow this link.

Photo: Mike Kepka shows how to work around audio equipment to build rapport at a previous Spring Training.

Inaugural address resonates with labor

Rebecca — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:08:15 +0000

Reuters

President Obama’s inaugural address hit home with Guild reps who continue to negotiate for fair contracts at the San Francisco Chronicle and BANG-East Bay, along with WPIX, Scholastic, Consumer’s Union, and the Jersey Journal, and who are preparing for upcoming talks at Standard & Poor’s.

Perhaps the most memorable line in Obama’s speech — and one that resonated with labor — came with his elaboration on the oft-quoted passage in the Declaration of Independence insuring “certain unalienable rights” including “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

“History tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing,” he told the crowd of hundreds of thousands who packed the National Mall.

Read the blog post from Broadcast Union News.

Deadlines approach for journalism contests

Rebecca — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:39:11 +0000

Independent journalists and photographers are eligible to compete for the following awards.

The Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards

Deadline: Feb. 15

The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants is now accepting submissions for its Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards 2013 from business print, television, radio and online reporters. The award, open to freelancers working anywhere in the U.S., honors outstanding reporting on business issues and media members who have contributed to a better understanding of business topics. All submissions will be judged on accuracy, quality and thoroughness of research.

National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Health Care Journalism Awards in print and broadcast

Deadline: Feb. 15. Recognizes excellence in health care reporting and writing on the financing and delivery of health care and the impact of health care policy. First-place winners earn $500 and a framed certificate.

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Book and Journalism Awards

Deadline: Feb. 15.

Each year, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presents an award to the book which “most faithfully and forcefully reflects Robert Kennedy’s concern for the poor and the powerless, his struggle for honest and even-handed justice, his conviction that a decent society must assure all young people a fair chance, and his faith that a free democracy can act to remedy disparities of power and opportunity.” Includes a category for student journalism.

The Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism

Deadline: March 1.

The medals honor distinguished coverage of disadvantaged children, youth and families. Winning stories offer a fresh take on a significant issue, show enterprise in research and reporting and demonstrate masterful storytelling and impact. A category for youth media was added in 2012. First-place winners receive $1,000.

The America’s Promise Journalism Awards honor those members of the media whose work helped to raise national awareness about the needs of young people and inspire communities nationwide to put the needs of children and youth first. Each recipient receives a $5,000 honorarium.

Courage in Journalism and Lifetime Achievement Awards, print and photography

Deadline: March 1

Each year, the Courage in Journalism Awards honour three women journalists who have demonstrated extraordinary strength of character in pursuing their profession under difficult or dangerous circumstances. Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a woman journalist who has a pioneering spirit and whose determination has paved the way for women in the news media. Candidates must be nominated by a third party.

Fund for American Studies Professional Journalism Awards

Deadline: March 15.

The competition includes the Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting and the Award for Excellence in Economic Reporting. Winners of each award will receive a $2,500 cash prize and a bronze eagle trophy, which will be presented at an awards luncheon in conjunction the 2012 Institute on Political Journalism in Washington, D.C.

Charlie Rose show settles intern lawsuit

Rebecca — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 01:55:01 +0000

By Steven Greenhouse

New York Times, December 20

Charlie Rose and his production company have agreed to pay as much as $250,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by a former unpaid intern who claimed minimum-wage violations.

Under the settlement, which was announced on Thursday, Mr. Rose and his production company, Charlie Rose Inc., will pay back wages to a potential class of 189 interns.

Workplace experts say hundreds of thousands of young Americans work as unpaid interns each year as they seek to gain experience in desired industries. But some interns and labor advocates assert that many employers are violating federal and state laws by using unpaid interns essentially to do the jobs of other workers and by not providing a true educational experience.

Read the full story.

Welcome to our new member, Rick Redfern

Rebecca — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:58:46 +0000

If not now, when?

For his perseverance in the face of post-layoff adversity post-layoff, the freelance unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild has made Rick Redfern an honorary member.

Rick was unavailable for comment, but his creator, Garry Trudeau, asked to pass along Rick’s “appreciation for this gesture of support.” A Guild Freelancers press pass is on its way.

A longtime Washington Post investigative reporter, Rick, a central character in Trudeau’s “Doonesbury“ strip, was swept out the door in 2008, a victim of the mass layoffs that emptied newsrooms nationwide. Since April, he has been blogging gratis for the Huffington Post, knowing too well a writer can die of exposure.

Trudeau launched “Doonesbury” — and Rick — in 1970. The first editorial cartoonist to win a Pulitzer Prize, Trudeau was recently named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time magazine.

In the strip, Redfern is married to Joanie Caucus, a veteran of the John B. Anderson campaign and former chief of staff to Congresswoman Lacey Davenport. Their son, Jeff, worked for the CIA and in Afghanistan for contractor Jack Overkill. Through social networking, Jeff established himself as the mysterious but fictional anti-Taliban fighter known as the “The Red Rascal.” In April, when the Huffington Post first tapped Rick for an unpaid gig, Jeff advised his father to start a foundation.

Trudeau has been steadily hammering The Huffington Post via Rick Redfern for its cheapskate practices.

The Huffington Post launched more than seven years ago with a business plan that factored in the free contributions of writers. In 2011, shortly after AOL sealed the purchase, and threw in a $4 million annual salary for La Huffington, our Guild Freelancers unit and the national Guild-CWA launched the “Hey Arianna, Can You Spare a Dime?” campaign.

“Rick Redfern stood his ground and we’re all grateful,” said Guild executive director Carl Hall. “The idea that journalists deserve to be paid clearly needs to spread beyond the funny pages.”