Journalist.ie gives the newspapers a chance to have their say on the rates they pay to freelance journalists. Elaine Larkin gets the low-down on who pays what.

A powerful new weapon in the journalist’s armoury, the AIE, is similar to the Freedom of Information act but is largely unknown to Irish journalists. Gavin Sheridan examines this cost-effective way to get at the truth.

Getting to grips with rates of pay can be a tricky business. There is no set minimum wage in the world of freelancers and pay scales can vary wildly – even within a publication.

Being commissioned to write a piece or setting a rate is one thing; getting paid, however, is another. In many other self-employed trades, it is normal to get 50% payment up front, perhaps another percentage payment on delivery and another within 30 days of invoice.

An NUJ seminar in London heard several genuine success stories – even in today’s stormy climate, writes Síle McArdle

Elaine Larkin is examining freelance rates in Ireland so we have some timely, relevant information on the resources section of the website. Could any freelancers out there please drop her an email to elaine at elainelarkin dot ie to let her know your experience?

What does the reported settlement in the Ardmayle libel case mean for Irish bloggers?

The Sunday Times reports that Irish blogger Ardmayle has agreed a €100,000 settlement shortly before a libel trial was due to be heard in the High Court.
Full story here.

Copyright protects the works of artists, including journalists. Only the copyright owner can make copies of their work, distribute those copies or produce deriviative works based on the original work. It is the actual work that is copyright; ideas and concepts cannot be copyrighted.

Finding out that an article you’ve written as a freelance journalist has been reproduced without your knowledge can be an irritation to say the least.