| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Media Issues > Topic: Your publication's freelance policy |
Topic: Your publication's freelance policy
| Author | Message |
| candylilacs | Posted – 6/30/2007 10:31:22 PM | show profile For all those with fulltime employment, what is your publication's policy on employees freelancing? Mine is vague, but emphasizes that the publication can't compete directly or indirectly as well as have no effect whatsoever on your work. The last part Iunderstand (including not doing work on their time, duh!) but the first is so encompassing it could be a no for Cat Fancy or Popular Mechanics. Thanks! ------ http://www.mswritesguide.blogspot.com |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/1/2007 12:33:12 PM | show profile As long as it's not a direct competitor and as long as it's not the same or related subject matter, they don't care. When you're in the non-profit world working for a non-profit salary, I think they *expect* you to try to make money on the side! |
| JimmyG | Posted – 7/2/2007 11:45:08 AM | show profile I think if you worked for Popular Mechanics and freelanced for Cat Fancy that would be okay, but if you did an article for the latter on high-tech litter boxes your bosses might have wanted you to run in PM, then there would be issues. Generally, if you work for a personal finance magazine, then it's no freelancing for another personal finance magazine. But there are gray areas: Can you write on a personal finance topic, then, for a general interest mag or newspaper? Can you contribute to an advertorial in another publication regardless of the topic? Does your publication's code of ethics (where applicable) carry over to freelance work -- i.e. not going on a press junket to cover a story? Better to ask than incur a supervisor's wrath for the sake of a couple hundred dollars. |
| ejlyman | Posted – 7/2/2007 1:57:45 PM | show profile | email poster Safe not sorry Better to be safe than sorry and discretely ask a supervisor about anything that doesn't seem obvious. I was surprised to find out how sensitive a major media company I used to work for was about this sort of thing and it was a real inkblot on my career there. It ended up forcing me info freelancing -- something I'm happy about -- but my decision to do something to make a few hundred bucks really resulted in a stressful and difficult few months I wouldn't wish on anyone. ------ Italy-based freelancer www.ericjlyman.com |
| WritingEd | Posted – 7/2/2007 3:39:33 PM | show profile No policy at my publication. I think there should be, though. I know of colleagues who have freelanced under a pen name for near-competitors. Personally that's not a situation I would put myself in -- too much of a threat to my job, policy or not. If I am going after a freelance assignment for a non-competing pub but it covers a topic area I cover in my day job, I make a point to mention it to my boss. It's more of a courtesy than a permission thing. |
