The future for journalists isn’t free
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Journalists writing for nothing are speeding the decline of their profession and undercutting colleagues wrote Margaret Simons in her recent blog entitled “Journalists shouldn’t write for free”. I couldn’t agree more, which is why I was recently surprised to hear a journalist colleague say she was to be published in The Walkley Magazine, but wasn’t expecting payment.
I have just checked the Walkley Magazine’s website, and sure enough it states “all contributions are unpaid”.
The Walkley Foundation may be a non-profit group, but the last time I picked up the magazine I remember seeing advertisements within its pages. The Foundation also counts some of Australia’s largest blue-chip companies among its sponsors. Surely some of that philanthropy could be directed towards the contributors who help make The Walkley Magazine a quality publication that advertisers wish to support?
If a publication produced by journalists for journalists isn’t rewarding those journalists, then what hope is there for an industry struggling to prove its worth?
My journalist colleague is trained and experienced, recently turning freelance to pursue issues she is passionate about.
From her perspective being published in a magazine read by the most senior of her peers is a milestone, and certainly something I was happy to congratulate her on. But therein lies the problem. As long as journalists are writing for kudos and not cash, publishers will continue to place downward pressure on pay rates.
I’m both a publisher and a freelance writer, so I’ve seen things from both sides. For me as a publisher it’s black and white. If a contributor makes the majority of their income from writing then my business pays them 50 cents a word, or $35-$40 an hour, depending on the type of work involved. If a contributor makes the majority of their income elsewhere, such as consulting or working in a role for a company not related to publishing, then I happily accept their contributions for free, since raising their profile with my audience is likely to lead to opportunties and possibly payment in their main profession.
Occasionally I’ve had consultants ask for payment for their contribution, and I’ve made the odd exception, but generally this approach has worked well and makes sense to all involved.
On the other side as a writer I’ve seen vast inconsistency. I’ve been asked to contribute guest posts to blogs for free, and offered princely hourly rates for producing content for websites. I’ve been paid $1 a word for publications with stories never shorter than 1,500 words and 50 cents a word for websites that rarely run more than 600 words. Like most journalists I am loathe to negotiate, so I generally just accept the offered rate, unless of course that rate is nothing.
The elephant in the room is of course bloggers. Since I’m not a trained journalist, and I blog, I would never argue that bloggers aren’t journalists. Blogging platforms have given a voice to many wannabe writers. Many are excellent wordsmiths with incisive knowledge of the industry they are writing about. And in most cases they write for free. It is with bloggers that journalists compete for audiences, and this fact can’t be overlooked when having a discussion about what journalists get paid.
In any industry competition is what drives down prices, and journalists have never had more competition. Competition also helps improve quality, and increases the expectations of customers as the bar is lifted. Personally I welcome competition. It makes me a better writer. But let’s not let competition drive us to writing for free. Yes, we have to work harder and we’re increasingly expected to do more for the money, but good editors recognise that and are willing to reward the journalist willing to go the extra mile. Editors under pressure from their more commercially minded masters will always take advantage of good work provided for free. It’s up to journalists to stand their ground and prove their worth.
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