Crowdfund News! CROWDFUNDING News Was the British TV Ten Years Ago Was in a Initially He Went to the Phone Theme of June’S LFB Meeting

July 2015 Crowdfund news! CROWDFUNDING news was the British TV ten years ago was in a Initially he went to the phone theme of June’s LFB meeting. Among “similarly parlous state” to journal- hacking pre-trail hearings only “to the speakers was Peter Jukes (www. ism – “top heavy management, rev- update my book,” but Peter started peterjukes.com), who crowd- enues down.” In 2009, Peter wrote live-tweeting from the trial, and very funded his coverage of every day of a “Why can’t we write The Wire?” quickly had 2000 followers. last year’s phone hacking trails, then piece for Prospect, about how “70 He later learned that “the police two books on these trials. He’s now per cent of BBC drama was com- didn’t bother to come in, they just a columnist on byline.com, already missioned by one man”, how it was followed my feed” from their offices. the world’s biggest crowdfunded more a baronial court than a mar- He broke the revelation of the Coul- journalism site despite being only ketplace. In TV scriptwriting, this was son-Wade affair 20 seconds before seven weeks old. Also speaking were a “career suicide note”. the Guardian’s Nick Davies. Near the Peter’s colleagues on byline.com But “when the phone-hacking trial’s end, he could see “everyone in Martin Hickman and Byline.com’s story broke, I understood about court watching my tweets.” CEO Seung Yoon: see page 4. media monopolies,” he noted. Via The trial, which was “supposed Given the “parlous state of jour- his sideline blogging for the Daily to be over by Christmas… went on nalism,” said Peter, crowdfunding Kos website, whose readers’ recom- deep into summer”. Peter told his might be able to “help you guys mendations floated him to the site’s followers, “Sorry, guys, I can’t afford out.” He described “how I ended front page, a publisher approached it”… and everyone said “so crowd- up crowdfunding” after a career of Peter to write the book that became fund it”. He initially asked for £4000 writing screenplays, scriptwriting The Fall of the House of Murdoch. He’d to continue covering every day of (Waking the Dead included), novels become a correspondent covering the phone hacking trial (having a vid- and only then journalism, helped by a “the problems of monopolies” from eo of him on CNN helped): within “series of successful accidents.” News International to Google. six days he had £6000. You are “owned by your audience”, says Peter, but they are “90 per cent of the time helpful: they will check and spell-check you”. He developed some premium perks – £25 gets you an invite to the launch party, £200 and you could have dinner with him. But even the big donors just passion- ately “want you to get the story out there… it’s not a market equation, there’s a public good that people are willing to finance.“ There is “a lot of trust involved, they’re pre-paying”, there’s a “lot of schmoozing going on” with your crowdfunders: but then “you used to have to schmooze editors.” Peter Jukes: photo © Hazel Dunlop © Matt Salusbury Making contracts fair AS YOU MAY have heard, the Euro- ists, insist that every battle must be contracts under which authors and pean Union’s civil service, the Com- between precisely two armies. performers, including journalists, mission, is considering changes to Günther Oettinger’s position, as work. The Commission would be the law on authors’ rights – the UK stated to us, was at least as strong as wasting its time, we said, if it puts incarnation of which is the copyright that of his predecessor Michel Bar- more effort into amending the law that you have in your work. We ex- nier, who was and is widely vilified by for “rightsholders” but still does not pect proposals in November. anti-copyright forces for “blocking” address this question of contracts. In April I was one of a delegation their ambitions. For example, we understand that from the European Federation of We raised two main issues. Firstly, when in 2001 it introduced a new Journalists – of which the NUJ is a the need to rein in demands for more right for authors to licence the right FREELANCE member – to meet EU Commission- “exceptions” to authors’ rights – the of “making available”, the idea was LFB meetings er Günther Oettinger. The Commis- rules that say when someone can that it would guarantee authors in- 13 July sioner opened by explaining that he use your work without asking, or come from the then-new online was committed to a sustainable eco- paying. We gave examples of how exploitation of our work – and thus Parliamentary meet- nomic environment for journalists important income from copying is, fulfil the purpose of authors’ rights ing on what can be and other creators. He understood including a quote from an NUJ mem- law in ensuring the supply of high- done about unfair the arguments over authors’ rights ber about their £1000 from the col- quality new work. But there is such contracts being as a three-way battle between cre- lecting society ALCS, mostly for use an imbalance of power in contract- imposed on ators (authors and performers); in- of their work in education, making making that we know of no cases in journalists termediaries (publishers and broad- the difference between solvency and which journalists have been able to See back page & casters) and “users”. its opposite. negotiate extra pay for exploitation www.twitter.com/ That was refreshing: some in the Secondly but primarily, we spoke NUJ_LFB Commission, like almost all journal- of the need for regulation of the See FAIR CONTRACTS on p 3 2 • Freelance July 2015 The Rate for the Job THIS time we have rather few rates extra payments negotiated for extra online reporting day £85 XXXX; that members and others have sub- uses, like the Web – or for print if it’s HarperCollins copy-editing per mitted – but some with which the a Rate for the Online Job. These are hour – member quoted Fees Guide recipients were quite  happy. We shown as (eg) £400 + 100. We now rate and got it – £24. do need more rates to help update record rates paid in € euro as well. Teaching: A writers’ association, www.londonfreelance.org/fees- Rates marked X are, in the editor’s day teaching £450 ; University in guide – which we can produce only fallible opinion, below par. Treat all UK, two-hour group activity £60/ A smartphone will convey if we have regular survey results. rates as minima, even perhaps the day subsistence + £250 max travel you directly to the Rate You can submit rates online, in happy  few. expenses £250. for the Job page (www. confidence, at any time, atwww.lon - Broadcasting: Major UK broad- Tip-offs: Private Eye 20-word tip- londonfreelance.org/ rates) by means of the above donfreelance.org/rates – please caster, producing a series of pro- off £10 XX. QR code. give not only the basic rate (e.g. for grammes, per week, negotiated up Words, per 1000: VICE 1000 FBS, First British Serial rights) but from £1200 per week, plus expenses, words kill fee (not sure what the £1400; BBC News Channel 5-min £60 is for – Ed) £120 + 60 XX; Mirror expert pundit TV interview £75. feature £1000 ; Good Housekeeping Photography: Health Service Jour- feature, retained copyright £666 ; nal day, expenses paid £260; Which? The Humanist feature £550 ; Classic half-day £220; Nursing Standard half- Pop features paid £60 per page, ap- day, exes paid £160; Health Service prox 500 words, terms vary, some- Journal half-day, expenses paid £160. times 3 months exclusivity £120 Punditry: University in UK one- XXX; Catworld £30 XXX; hour talk followed by Q&A, up to Words, other: Sun feature one hour, £60/day subsistence + spread £1500 ; Pitchfork op-ed with £250 max travel expenses £150. a little reporting, regardless of word Shifts: European NGO per day, count, Work For Hire (US-speak for work not specified €300; Nature per “all rights” & worse) $150; Choose. day, work not specified £200; The net Consumer news writing, per Times subbing day £150; Independent piece, no exes all rights £30 XXX. The Trireme Award Low budgets bringing out bad behaviour WE HEAR via an email network ager. The packager then invoiced the can’t afford to upset them.) This is of This month’s Trireme Award, used by freelance editors and au- publisher for the complete material. course a breach of contract. for terms and conditions “worse than I was last thors, including NUJ members, that Meanwhile, the publisher who com- In the same sector, a writer had chained to the oars” in the there is “some funny stuff going on missioned the book “package” has earlier turned down an offer of words of one freelance, goes out there.” Low budgets are bring- had a change of personnel – the new appallingly-paid editing work. They to the BBC. Its “shadow ing out some dodgy behaviour so we incumbent has made it clear to the were recently asked by the same scheme” (sounds like need to be on our toes. packager that a change of “direction” publisher to “rescue” the appalling something from The X-Files!) One incident involves a packager means they have no intention of pay- half-finished mess the writer they pays would-be scriptwriters (sub-contracted by a publisher to ing for what their predecessor com- eventually commissioned had pro- £1000 for a “trial script”, deliver a book to a certain format) missioned. duced, adding the bits the writer had estimated at an average of who one member of the network They made it clear they wouldn’t left out, re-organising the text and so approximately £2.38 an hour. See page 3 for the full story. helped to do a chunk of “complicat- be getting any more commissions if on – but the money offered was still ed” work on material last year, for they made a fuss. (Packagers often rubbish and they said no. which they were paid by the pack- have only a very few clients, and © Matt Salusbury

Register now for Should positive discrimination be introduced at the BBC? book cash FREELANCE BRANCH mem- as an ex-employee, after researching BAME programmes on the BBC”. THOSE of you who have ber Colin Joseph, who worked on this issue, that there has been so few The BBC announced in June last signed up to the Public Community Affairs at the BBC, gains for BAME BBC employees on year that a ring-fenced £2.1m Diver- Lending Right (PLR) scheme – asks: should positive discrimina- and off-air. sity Creative Talent Fund would be it makes micro-payments to tion be introduced to ensure The census in 2011 put the BAME introduced to promote BAME em- authors whenever their books fair representation of the Black, population in the UK at 1 in 7 and ployment. But how much difference are borrowed from public Asian and Minority Ethnic set to increase: roughly the same will £2.1m really make? It’s the cost libraries – have until 30 June (BAME) communities? as that of Scotland and Wales com- of two episodes of Downton Abbey. to register their recent books bined. Why then, as a BBC consumer Simon Albury, Chair of the Cam- with the scheme to get money for them when they’re lent WORKING at the BBC can be like and ethnic minority, do I feel that the paign for Broadcasting Equality, be- over the next year. Do so via living in a protective rose-tinted BBC doesn’t represent me? lieves the BBC will be under a lot of www.plr.uk.com. If you’ve bubble and it can be difficult to ob- Surfing across BBC outlets there pressure to diversify its programme got a book published, and jectively analyse the corporation’s seems to be no BAME focused pro- content and staff in the years ahead. you’ve not done so already, achievements and objectives in a grammes on air. When there is cov- “I don’t think BAME communities now might be a good time to clear and dispassionate manner. erage on bread and butter BAME is- will continue to allow themselves register with PLR, in plenty The blinkers have now been re- sues it’s often irresponsible and lacks to be sidelined by the BBC,” he said. of time to register your titles, moved and I often find myself dis- sensitivity (take the UKIP-like rheto- “BAME communities are finding a also by 30 June. PLR now appointed with the lack of on-air ric on immigration for example). voice and some are threatening not “synchronises” with its Irish equivalent, allowing you to BAME representation and lack of I interviewed a number of BAME to pay the license fee because they register for micro-payments responsible BAME focused news consumers of BBC services. Com- don’t see themselves represented. made whenever your books stories and programmes. mon responses to my questions ••See the full piece online at are lent in libraries in the Is it possible the BBC is going were “the BBC doesn’t represent www.londonfreelance.org/ Republic of Ireland as well. backwards? I find it hard to believe me” and “we need to see more fl/1506bame.html Freelance July 2015 • 3 The Feerlance The Freelance is covered in Better Boost Contracts shame. To run a headline THE NUJ organised a meeting in be scriptwriters. The WGGB is the After sending the letter, Bernie referring to “Statsi” – when support of the concept of the BBC trade union for scriptwriters and discovered that writers on the East- we meant “Stasi”, for as a public service broadcaster on allied trades. Enders shadow scheme don’t get Staatssicherheitsdienst, the Wednesday 10 June at the House of As Bernie explains: “Each writer paid £1000 – they get paid nothing at notorious security service of the former East Germany... Commons. Very necessary. But the engaged on a shadow scheme is all. In a recent batch 12 people wrote let this this be a warning. BBC needs to clean up its act when expected to produce a trial script scripts and three got commissioned. Remember Muphry’s Law, it comes to dealing with contribu- in the same way that an established Perhaps worse still, a successful writ- expressed by John Bangsund tors. It expects people to write com- writer creates a script for produc- er who has had scripts produced for, thus: “if a mistake is as plete scripts for free. tion. This involves producing up to for example, hospital drama Casu- plain as the nose on your Bernie Corbett, late of this parish three drafts over three months’ full- alty is expected to go through the face, everyone can see it and now General Secretary of the time work. The fee offered is £1000. “shadow scheme” before having a but you. Your readers will Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, has The rate of pay works out at about script produced for, for example, always notice errors in a written to (Lord) Tony Hall, Direc- £2.38 per hour – far below the na- hospital drama Holby City. As Bernie title, in headings, in the first tor-General of the BBC, expressing tional minimum wage of £6.70 per concludes, “this is insulting to profes- paragraph of anything, and in the top lines of a new page. deep concern about the Corpora- hour, let alone the London living sional writers of proven ability.” These are the very places tion’s “shadow scheme” for would- wage of £9.15 per hour.” © Mike Holderness where authors, editors and proofreaders are most likely Martin O’Hagan murder: secret terror deal claims to make mistakes.” CLAIMS were made in the recent into Martin O’Hagan’s death was Panorama programme Britain’s Secret delayed because the Police Service Terror Deals regarding the Septem- of Northern Ireland (PSNI) refused ber 2001 murder of Sunday World to hand over “crucial” intelligence journalist Martin O’Hagan, who was files, eventually released when Om- Secretary of NUJ Belfast and District budsman Dr Michael Maguire threat- Branch. He is believed to be the only ened to take the PSNI to court. His journalist murdered in Northern eight-year investigation into Martin Ireland. (See www.londonfree- O’Hagan’s death is ongoing, noted lance.org/ohagan1.html for the the Independent. full story.) George Hamilton, Chief Con- Citing “extraordinary evidence,” stable of the PSNI, said he “entirely Panorama alleged the murder of refuted” Panorama’s suggestion that O’Hagan was “among the cases officers colluded with Mr O’Hagan’s where state and paramilitary collu- killers. There’s a link to Panorama: sion is alleged to have been covered Britain’s Secret Terror Deals, on the up” according to the Independent. BBC iPlayer until 2016, from the on- The Police Ombudsman’s report line version of this article. Martin O’Hagan attending the trade union event to mark Finding out whether GCHQ spied on us gets harder May Day 2001. THE CAMPAIGN to find out wheth- ligence services of everybody’s back ment’s attempt to destroy the Hu- Photo © Kevin Cooper er we as individual journalists have catalogue of phonecalls, emails and man Rights Act seems stalled, the been spied on by GCHQ continues, stuff they’ve ever looked up online. Queen’s Speech announced a new but things are now more complicated But Privacy International’s planned “snoopers’ charter” to make blanket (see the the April Freelance). Protec- mass submission on behalf of all the surveillance of absolutely everybody More online tion of sources – and our ability as signatories has been rejected by the legal. Looking up the longer version ••Petitions and surveys journalists to continue to persuade Surveillance Commissioner. For now, of this online at www.londonfree- for your consideration... sources to talk to us in confidence – all the petitioners will need to make lance.org/fl/1504gchq.html may ••And cash awards is severely compromised once submissions individually. expose you to state espionage. too! there’s blanket surveillance by intel- While the new Tory govern- © Matt Salusbury ••The robots’ long march... now into the FAIR CONTRACTS from p 1 from legal arguments over the 1710 frustrated about the level of lobby- newsroom... of this right. So the most important Statute of Anne, at least. ing against “exceptions” to authors’ ••Do you have one or things we seek are collective bar- In late September, Günther Oet- rights. She set up a website at www. more shares in a me- gaining of minimum standards for tinger told us, there will be a massive copywrongs.eu to complain: and dia company? The NUJ the contracts under which authors, consultation event on the Commis- one of the dozen points she invites wants to hear from you including journalists, work; and the sion’s draft proposals. They are due supporters to root for is to “Protect at campaigns@nuj. right for trades unions themselves to be published in November; but he authors from unfair contracts”. Spe- org.uk to bring cases to court, rather than indicated that he’d hold them longer cifically: “Artists don’t have lawyers. ••More of us work forcing individual freelances to stick if that offered an opportunity to get Publishers and labels have armies from home, the TUC our heads above the parapet. them right. of them. Guess who has the upper finds Publishers and broadcasters are There are, however, signs of an hand in contract negotiations? Pro- ••You think freelances currently opposing any move to deal odd realignment. Julia Reda is now tect artists from expoitative total have it hard in the UK? with the unfair contracts they op- the only Pirate Party member of buy-out contracts Europe-wide and In Belarus freelancing is pose. That’s an expected knee-jerk; the European Parliament – instinc- allow them to take back their rights illegal all management opposes any move tively opposed to large companies’ if unused.” ••Multiple battles rage to regulate it, from the 1833 Factory use of copyright. She got the job of It’s going to be a hard slog, but over ebooks Act or before. Publishing manage- writing a report for the Parliament it’s getting interesting. London Free- ments, however, have always depend on changes to authors’ rights (and lance Branch is holding a meeting See the website www. on the political argument that cre- copyright) law. The Legal Committee to discuss this in Parliament on 13 londonfreelance. ators must be able to make a living of the Parliament was due to vote July – see page 6. org/fl to defend their business model – on a draft on 16 June. Julia Reda is © Mike Holderness Freelance July 2015 • 4 How to do crowdfunding MARTIN Hickman – investigative “very obscure Iraqi photojournal- them with your proposal for a proj- journalist with Exaro News and ism agency” was “counter-intuitively ect that you “can’t start… without founder of long-form journalism the first to get funded: people felt this money.” Peter reminded us of publishers Canbury Press – told the need to fund it.” Then there’s the income from crowdfunded sources, LFB about models for crowdfund- feminist author writing for Byline on “it’s taxable.” ing journalism at June’s LFB meet- prostitution – she got a core follow- © Matt Salusbury ing. Martin arrived straight from ing within a week… It the trail of the former News of the can be a subject, not a World executive editor Neil Wallis person” that people on conspiracy charges related to will pay to follow. phone hacking, having raised £3000 Byline is like an in crowdfunding to cover it. agency, it “doesn’t Unlike his colleague Peter Jukes have a newsroom… (see page 1), Martin was “tradition- We’re taking a cut... ally a newspaper journalist – the 15 per cent commis- Mail, Eastern Daily Press… a steady sion” (about standard traditional newspaper career like a for crowdfunding plat- tractor going up a long incline very forms) but for the re- slowly.” After taking voluntary re- maining four and a half dundancy from the Indy a couple of months of their launch years ago, he “ended up reporting they’re waiving the the phone hacking trial for Hacked commission. Byline can Off”, turning to crowdfunding to ex- provide advice and sup- tend that trial coverage. port on “the tricks… Crowfunding not only brings “sup- how to set up rewards... port for those upfront costs: you can helping to tweet out get a very good idea of the market” and stuff, tools for how from donors “coming along to the to raise your profile.” launch party” and other interactions. Crowdfunding doesn’t Martin has since co-authored Dial M take your copyright. A for Murdoch and his crowdfunded colleague who writes book on “Plebgate” police officer for Byline sold on his Keith Wallis’s trial is out soon. Coulson perjury trail Seung Yoon, CEO of crowdfunded piece to the Spectator. journalism site byline.com, says Currently it’s by invi- they currently have “7000 funders, tation only, but once its many more readers.” While some “culture is established,” of the funders reading Byline fol- any freelance can pitch low an individual journalist with an to Byline, says Seung established name and “visibility”, Yoon. How? “Put your Seung Yoon explained the site’s a CV out there… display Crowdfunded journalism publisher Martin Hickman (top) and Byline.com CEO “deliberate mix of well-known and samples of work” says Seung Yoon explain how it works not well-known” contributors. A Martin, then come to Photos: © Hazel Dunlop Counting the cost of bringing copyright action HAITIAN photographer Daniel to Barbara Hoffman, the attorney we have a reminder that even the Morel was rightly praised for stand- who originally represented him in Small Claims track in the English and ing up for his rights and in the end the case. He was in early June still Welsh courts it not without its risks. winning $1.2 million from Agence waiting for the $1.2 million. It should cost just £70 to file a claim France Press and the Getty agency The judge ruled that the defences for amounts between £500.01 and for massive abuse of eight of his pic- put by AFP and Getty “raised a rela- £1000 and you should get that, and tures of the earthquake that devas- tively novel issue” and “helped de- the £80 hearing fee and certain ex- Shifts on offer tated Port au Prince on 12 January fine the contours of copyright law penses such as for travel, back from A regional newspaper group 2010, as reported in the November in the digital age” by testing the ap- the defendant – if the court finds in is looking for freelances to work shifts throughout the 2013 Freelance. But now Photo Dis- plication of copyright law to social your favour. year, in the London/Essex trict News has reported on the eco- media. So Morel’s laywers bear the Recently an NUJ member went area, when staffers are on nomics of bringing the case. costs of entering new legal territory. to court, and the judge didn’t think leave. On offer would be: Judge Alison J. Nathan of the US The law of England and Wales is the infringement was worth what 60-100 days subbing cover District Court in New York City has that the losing party generally bears the member did, and awarded less @£110 per day; 60-100 rejected a motion by Morel and his all the costs of a case. Joseph Baio, than a previous offer made by the days reporter cover @ attorneys to recover $2.5 million in one of Morel’s lawyers described defendant. So the member didn’t £100 per day; and 5-10 days legal fees and costs incurred during this principle as “alien to” US law. get their costs. They were fortunate photographic cover @£100 his five-year court battle. Willkie Farr But “I had a gas trying the case... we that the defendant – who was repre- per day plus mileage. The group would like to have a list & Gallagher, the law firm that tried do enough other business at this sented by a lawyer – did not ask for of several freelances in each Morel’s case on a “contingency” ba- firm so it won’t break the bank.” Fu- their costs, otherwise the member category. Any member who sis, must be content with 15 percent ture victories in US law will depend would have had to pay those as well. is interested should contact of the jury award – $180,000. The on a sufficient supply of lawyers will- So think very hard if the other side the NUJ Freelance Office judge also ruled that Morel must pay ing to work on that basis. makes an offer before the hearing. at freelanceoffice@nuj. $164,583 in legal fees and expenses On a much more modest scale, © Mike Holderness org.uk Freelance July 2015 • 5 Demystify medical data EVER WANTED to report medical New members trials but were too worried about meet – 30/07/15 the numbers to know where to start? Medical journalist Dr Susan There’s a meeting for new and recently-joined Mayor addressed LFB’s May meeting members of NUJ London to demystify the discipline and show Freelance Branch on members how to interpret press re- Thursday 30 July. It’s a chance leases from drugs companies. to meet other people new Susan was a post-doctoral re- to the Branch, and there searcher before retraining as a jour- will also be some more nalist. She’s a former British Medical experienced working Journal news editor and managing journalist Branch members editor of the British Journal of Primary on hand with advice and tips. Care Nursing. Her book Finding the The meeting’s from 6pm at the Camera Café, Museum Right Molecule, tracing the develop- Street, London WC1 ment of the drug Pradaxa, won the (nearest Tube Holborn). Communiqué award. These meetings take place What hope is there for freelances on the last Thursday of who have no scientific training? Quite every third month. a lot, Mayor insists. The first known work of medical research was not a Dr Susan Mayor explains statistics Photo © Hazel Dunlop high-powered jargon-infested affair. long was the trial run for? Follow-up dence of hazard (for example death) Written up in the Old Testament’s research may be necessary. Third: the in treated subjects against regular Book of Daniel, it was a comparative completeness of follow-up and how treatment, expressed as the differ- trial of the performance-enhancing many subjects dropped out. ence between the percentage risks. properties of the vegetable diet of There are several key concepts in Relative risk reduction is the pro- the prophet Daniel and his students how the results are calculated. portion by which an event rate is against the rich food eaten by King There’s the mean – the normal reduced (a ratio). Nebuchadnezzar II’s servants. average value (add all figures and di- To summarise: check the mean Dr Mayor elucidated key termi- vide by the number of figures). And and median, hazard ratio, confidence nology for types of trials: controls; there’s the median: the middle value interval and p-value of any study on placebos; non-inferiority trials (en- of an ascending range of numbers. which you’re basing a story. suring a new treatment is no worse There’s also the hazard ratio. This Dr Mayor offered a checklist for than existing treatment); randomised is the chance of the hazard (for ex- analysing research papers: trials; blinded trials (participants ample, the recurrence of cancer) in ••What question is the research don’t know what they’re receiving); the treatment group, divided by the asking? Is it useful? double-blinded trials (neither the chance in the control group. A haz- ••What were the main findings? participants nor the researchers ard ratio of 0.66 equals a 34 per cent ••How meaningful are these find- know which is the new treatment reduction of hazard. ings? (look at the confidence interval and which is the placebo or existing And there’s the confidence ratio, and p-value) drug); and open label studies (sub- to assess how reliable the treatment ••Are the findings credible? jects know which treatment they are would be for people outside the ••Who carried out the research? testing, with the risk of expectations trial. How reliable the results of the Are they reputable? changing the outcome). study are is more typically reflected in ••Who funded the research? This When making sense of the num- the “p-value”. This assesses the prob- is typically disclosed at the end of a bers, there are three key figures to ability of an observed effect having study check. First: how big is the sample? happened by chance. A result with a ••Where was the research pub- This can be low for trials involving p-value of 0.5 is no use: there is a 1 lished? Was it peer-reviewed? rare diseases – 150 subjects may in 2 chance it is just randomness. The © Fiona O’Cleirigh be acceptable for a study of a rare p-value must be 0.05 (1 in 20) or •The much longer version at cancer, 4000 might be expected for • lower for the result to be significant. www.londonfreelance.org/ I prefer not to a cardiovascular study. Second: how Absolute risk reduction is the inci- fl/1506stat.htmlhas more detail. cross picket lines FREELANCE journalist and Strikes at Newsquest South London NUJ member Martin Lewis of moneysavingexpert.com AS THE Freelance was in pageproof sworth Guardian, Balham and Toot- tinues, NUJ members at the affected (he spoke to LFB in 2013, on 17 June, National Union of Jour- ing Guardian, Mitcham and Morden titles would very much appreciate it pictured above, see www. nalists members at titles in South Guardian, Kingston Guardian, Surrey if any freelances who are asked to londonfreelance.org/ London owned by Newsquest were Comet, Elmbridge Comet, the Richmond work at these titles on strike days fl/1305lewi.html) declined about to start a twelve-day strike. & Twickenham Times and the News discovered that you were unavail- to turn up to do his regular This was due to go on – bar- Shopper series, which has editions able on those days. Please watch this Deals of the Week spot on ring concessions – until midnight in Dartford, Lewisham, Greenwich, space and www.nuj.org.uk/news ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday 30 June and to be fol- Gravesend, Bexley and Bromley. for updates. on 14 May, the day of the lowed by a period of work-to-rule. London Freelance Branch will, if Also, on 8 June members took to one-day strike by NUJ and technicians’ union Bectu over (See www.londonfreelance.org/ necessary, consider making a do- the streets against Phil Turner, chair a two per cent pay offer. fl/1305rule.html for what a work- nation to the strike fund at its July of the office union group (known as Martin tweeted that “As [an] to-rule is.) meeting (check www.londonfree- the Father of Chapel) at the News- NUJ member I prefer not to Titles affected include the Croy- lance.org/lfb/meetings.html). quest Rotherham Advertiser being sin- cross picket lines.” don Guardian, Sutton Guardian, Epsom As always, in the event that indus- gled out for redundancy. See bit.ly/ Photo: Richard Lipman Guardian, Wimbledon Guardian, Wand- trial action at Newsquest South con- SupportPhilT for a report. www.lipmanfilms.com Freelance July 2015 • 6 LONDON FREELANCE BRANCH MEETINGS Making contracts fair – in Parliament THE IMPOSITION of unfair con- mittee Room 4a). ID is not required. LFB meetings are from 7pm to 9pm tracts on journalists and other cre- How early you need to be depends and (except in July and December) at ators is gathering pace as a political on what else is on in the Palace of Friends House, Euston Road, NW1 issue – see page 1. London Freelance Westminster. We currently recom- 2BJ (opposite Euston Station), which Branch is holding a meeting to dis- mend getting there before 18:15. is accessible to people who use cuss this in Parliament on Monday There is, as usual, no Branch meet- wheelchairs. Please exercise discre- 13 July. What can be done to pro- ing in August. tion if Tweeting or streaming from tect journalists (and other authors On Monday 14 September we meetings: see this page, below. If you and performers) from unfair con- will back at Friends’ House, hearing need the Branch to pay for care for tracts, ranging from those that force from Dorothy Byrne, head of C4 a child or dependent so you can at- us to give up all rights to those that News and Current Affairs. The Free- tend an LFB meeting, call a Branch demand we fund any court cases? lance hopes for tips on how we can officer. If you have difficulty reading Our speakers are Chris Bryant, get commissioned by C4. the agenda on paper, please contact Labout MP for Rhondda and Shad- And on Monday 9 October our [email protected] ow Minister for Culture, Media and speaker will be Graham Hayday, who to get it in electronic form. Sport; and Tim Clement-Jones, the is head of studio at Guardian Labs. For updates on meetings and con- LibDem Lord to whom all mem- We hope he will be speaking about firmation of the speakers at meet- bers of both Houses of Parliament the ethical and journalistic issues ings throughout 2015, see www. turn when anything comes up about raised by “sponsored content”. It londonfreelance.org/lfb/meet- copyright. We have invited Members was of course the Guardian that par- ings.html and LFB’s Twitter feed from the Conservative and Scottish odied its own “Wonderful Ruritania” www.twitter.com/NUJ_LFB. National Parties. supplements with a special pull-out NOTE that the Branch rules now You will need to arrive at the top from the government of San Seriffe allow notice of meetings and mo- www.londonfreelance.org/lfb Branch contacts: of the ramp down to the tourists’ on 1 April 1977. How things have tions to be sent by email. If you are entrance to the Houses of Parlia- changed since then! How? not getting such notices, go to www. www.londonfreelance.org/fl contents: Online Freelance ment in good time for security londonfreelance.org/linkup now.

This went to press on 16 June. FREELANCE checks. Tell the official at the top For details of NUJ London Pho- Your deadline for the September you are attending the NUJ meeting tographers’ Branch meetings, see print edition is 14 August Vacancy – LFB (currently scheduled to be in Com- www.londonphotographers.org Welfare Officer BRANCH MATTERS THERE’S still a vacancy on the London Freelance Branch Committee for a second Recording or live-tweeting LFB meetings Welfare Officer to support THE BRANCH reminds its members not imply that they are giving any- will be running a report of their talk Arjum Wajid, who is currently that the “work matters” discussion thing but their own individual views.” online and in print, and inviting them flying solo in the Branch’s at London Freelance Branch meet- See www.londonfreelance.org/ to flag up any parts of their talk that Welfare Officer post. Where ings is confidential: no recording or lfb/rules.html for the full whack. may not be for publication. possible, LFB has always tweeting of this section of the meet- Speakers who agree to come to Speakers at LFB meetings have tried to have two welfare ing is allowed. LFB Standing Order talk at LFB – for free – do so in the from time to time prefaced com- officers – ideally one female and one male. For what 10 refers to the NUJ’s “Rule 18(1) spirit of talking to colleagues and ments by saying they’re off the re- the post entails, see www. concerning unauthorised disclosure (usually) fellow trade unionists, to cord, at which point you will see the londonfreelance.org/ of confidential Union or Branch whom they may make comments not Freelance team temporarily cease lfb/jobs.html and contact Business, which also provides that intended for a wider public. When typing. We otherwise welcome live a member of the Branch in anything members may publish on speakers are invited to speak at LFB tweeting of meetings mentioning the Committee (see above) if you Branch or Union affairs they shall they are informed that the Freelance Branch identity @NUJ_LFB. are interested in standing. UNCLASSIFIED ADS TRAINING TIME FREELANCE UNCLASSIFIEDS are London area at present. And if you’re CHECK OUT the courses offere by the NUJ, at reasonable rates FREE to members for non-commercial looking for a particular record, try me. to members: Getting Started as a Freelance – tips that are useful purposes. To non-members and for com- Mike: at [email protected]. whether you are moving from staff or new to journalism – 16 Oc- mercial purposes, £10 for this much. WRITER REQUIRED to write tober; Pitch & Deal – getting what you’re due for your work – 30 Acceptance is at the editors’ whim; ap- October, both in London. See www.nuj.org.uk/events pearance does not imply endorsement. If monthly newsletter. Neutradol send you have any comments on an advertiser, out a monthly newsletter to subscribers and are looking for a freelance writer to CONTACTS tell us. Submit ads by email to unclassi- compile this and send out via Mail Chimp. [email protected] Freelance office Please email: [email protected] John Toner / Pamela Morton...... 020 7843 3706 WANT TO TRY YOUR HAND at GALLOWAY COTTAGE. Wood- Membership via switchboard ��020 7278 7916 fiction? Creative writing courses at The burning stove and games room. One mile email �� [email protected] Groucho Club and other central London from Scotland’s book town, two minutes post ��308 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP venues will help inspire you and develop walk to good village pub and distillery. Legal helpline for NUJ members in emergency only: your craft. Details, dates and prices at Beautiful countryside and unspoiled England and Wales ��0800 587 7530 www.writingcourses.org.uk beaches. woodpeckercottage@btin- Scotland ��0800 085 3425 ternet.com or see our website at I AM SEEKING to diversify so have Freelance editors woodpecker-cottage.co.uk stated trading in vinyl records. So, fair Mike Holderness �� prices paid for good condition records – SPORTS REPORTER or voiceover Matt Salusbury �� in particular, rock, pop, soul, jazz, blues, artist? Portable ISDN broadcast units email: �� [email protected] folk, ska/reggae, Latin, Samba/bossa, Af- for hire with carry case, ISDN lead and Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/NUJ_LFB rican, contemporary beats. Also avant- headphones/mic. Short or long term hire © 2015 NUJ & authors; moral rights asserted. garde. Collections mainly limited to the availability: [email protected] Freelance July 2015 • 7 STORIES NOT IN THE PRINT EDITION Freelancing? That were luxury! You think freelances have it The robots’ long march hard in the UK? In Belarus THIS SPRING saw a spate of books edge their intellectual debt to Who might be physically lightened. But freelancing is illegal. The worrying us about the potential for Owns the Future?, a 2013 book by surely before long some Edison European Federation of artificial intelligence to take over Jaron Lanier, the researcher who would make the true automaton; the Journalists (EFJ) is extremely “white-collar” work. In particular, coined the term “virtual reality” (see problem must be comparatively such concerned by the increasing in Rise of the Robots software entre- the March Freelance). Once again, a simple one. numbers of fines imposed preneur Martin Ford asserts that Lanier has started a trend. “Only to throw in a given number on Belarusian freelance websites such as Forbes.com are And in George Gissing’s New Grub of old books and have them reduced, journalists for “illegal creation making more use than they admit of Street we find this: blended, modernised into a single of mass media production” software like Quill, which generates “A few days ago her startled eye one for today’s consumption.” since April 2014. On 1 June Ina Shayko, judge of the news reports from raw data. had caught an advertisement in the Others who have until now failed Dziarzhynsk district court, The book appeared at the same newspaper, headed ‘Literary Ma- to read Gissing’s wonderful docu- ruled against journalists time as Culture Crash by Scott Tim- chine’; had it then been invented at mentary fiction of publishing toil Volha Chaychyts and Siarhei berg, who was an arts reporter for last, some automaton to supply the should know that it was published Krauchuk and demanded the Los Angeles Times before the pa- place of such poor creatures as her- in 1891. He thus raises the image, them to pay 5,400 ,000 rubles per cut its culture coverage, and The self, to turn out books and articles? lovely to some, of a coal-fired artifi- each (€310 or £220). Internet is Not the Answer by CNN “Alas! The machine was only for cial journalist crafted from black iron For more see: www. columnist Andrew Keen. holding volumes conveniently, that and polished brass… europeanjournalists.org/ Interestingly, all three acknowl- the work of literary manufacture © Mike Holderness blog/2015/06/08/belarus- imposes-more-fines-on- freelance-journalists More of us work from home PEOPLE working from home – allowed to work for their bosses See Andrew Bibby’s ready reckon- which would include many of the from home at least some of time, as er for the amount you save your cli- NUJ’s freelances for at least some of well as the self-employed. The more ents in overheads by working form the time – made up 13.7 of the UK’s senior your position if you are an home: it’s at www.andrewbibby. workforce as of early June, up from employee, the more likely you are com/reckoner.html 12 per cent in 2005. to be able to negotiate some kind of This factors in the “costs of pro- That’s according to the Indepen- working-from-home arrangement – viding premises” to the employee, dent, which quotes Office for Na- one in five managers surveyed seem coming up with a figure of £7750 tional Statistics data and a recent to have pulled this off. per “workstation” per year. Andrew TUC analysis of “government fig- The remainder are the self-em- admits this is an average for the UK ures”. This has 800,000 people be- ployed – with four fifths of workers ,which considerably underestimates coming “home workers” over the from home being male, reflecting how much it would cost the client last decade, with a total working- the fact that a majority of the total to run a workstation in London. It’s from-home workforce of 4.2 million. UK self-employed workforce (two worth mentioning when negotiating The figure includes staff who are thirds) are male. rates for work done at home. Bad books blocked and contracts queried THE PUBLISHERS’ Association has ropean Commission on 11 June And, though perhaps few Free- obtained an order in the High Court launched an inquiry into “certain lance readers are directly affected by requiring internet service provid- business practices by Amazon in the the working conditions of artistes ers BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk distribution of electronic books”. It with 24 platinum discs to display in and EE to block access to seven says this is particularly to do with the toilet (for just 5 titles)... it may sites that offer unauthorised copies clauses that “require publishers to be of significance for the future of of ebooks. These purport to hold inform Amazon about more favour- online creativity that one Taylor around 10,000,000 ebook titles and able or alternative terms offered to Swift forced the Apple corporation have been making substantial sums Amazon’s competitors and/or offer to backtrack on a plan to force mu- of money, primarily through refer- Amazon similar terms and condi- sicians to give work away for three ral fees and advertising. None of tions than to its competitors, or months to promote, er, Apple’s new Award alert! this money has been going back to through other means ensure that online music venture. The corpora- Sound science either the publishers or the authors Amazon is offered terms at least as tion announced on 22 June that it prize of the works. See the Society of Au- good as those for its competitors.” would pay for downloads from day You have until 20 August thors’ report at bit.ly/BadBooks- This “may make it more difficult for one of the service: which incidentally to submit your entry for Blocked other e-book distributors to com- received rather a lot of publicity. the John Maddox prize for Meanwhile in Brussels, the Eu- pete with Amazon”. © Mike Holderness “sound” science journalism. Unusually among awards Petition, consultation, survey we’ve recently come across, rather than just covering PLEASE consider signing the follow- media_33/?v=58368 - Whitting- ••Survey: The NUJ is gathering you in glory it offers some ing petition and completing the fol- dale, former Chair of the Culture, evidence of editorial pressures being actual money! Two thousand lowing survey and submitting to the Media and Sport Select Committee applied on journalists by proprietors quid’s-worth of money, in following consultation: has hosted LFB and Society of Au- and advertisers. Please respond (in fact. (The winner was also be ••Petition: call on Minister for thors gigs at the House of Com- confidence) at www.surveymon- covered in glory, getting their Culture John Whittingdale MP to mons (see www.londonfreelance. key.com/s/WPFsurvey own spot in Nature.) To enter: protect the BBC and ensure it has org/fl/1106hoc.html in 2011) and ••Consultation: ACLS members www.senseaboutscience. the necessary resources to re- made intelligent observations on the respond to their consultation on org/pages/maddox- prize-2015.html and see main as a strong impartial voice need for enforcement of copyright proposals for Extended Collective page 5 for the report on both in the UK and globally. It’s at and on related subjects, so he is not Licencing. Details: www.london- a recent LFB meeting on https://secure.avaaz.org/en/uk_ entirely unsympathetic. freelance.org/fl/1503alcs.html reporting on medical science.