Contract red flags

Freelance writers should be aware of the following red flags when reviewing agreements:

• "Work for hire": It means that the copyright and publishing rights belong to the publication, not to the author. It means the author may miss out on the opportunity to option their work for something else, or even report about the same thing again. 
• No kill fee: If a publication decides not to publish your work, you will be paid an amount for the work you've already done. Without a kill fee in place, you will be paid nothing.