I have been reading Mayhill Fowler's blog post Why I Left The Huffington Post and the attached comments with a mixture of humor, frustration, and anger these past couple days. Humor in the naivete of the thought that working for free will magically produce a paying job, frustration that despite proof to the contrary people still continue to do it, and anger because those same people who work for free justify doing so.
I finally couldn't hold my tongue any longer and posted the following comment.
(Earlier comment by PJ Orvetti ) “These various early websites and blogs didn’t get me any money, and the freelancing I’m doing now is not enough to live on. (I still have another job.) But my goal in all of these enterprises was to get noticed and hopefully eventually get to a place where I would be a full-time professional political writer. That has not come yet, but these freebie projects have helped greatly.
That said, this sort of “hustling” does hurt the market value for other aspiring writers. If some folks are giving it away free, why should businesspeople pay others?”
(My response) PJ Orvetti – According to your comment, you have been toiling for 22 years and still can not making a living wage as a journalist. You will never be a full time professional writer (for a paycheck anyway), because not only have your actions contributed to the work-for-free problem, but you’ve proven by your own admission that you will work for free indefinitely.
There is value in providing very limited work for reduced or no pay, but to do it for 22 years and then wonder why you are not yet a “full-time professional political writer” completely boggles my mind. In the photography world, we call people like you GWC, which stands for “Guy With a Camera”. It describes all the fans who trade free images for access and by consequence, take food off the tables of working photographers. Being referred to as a GWC is probably one of the biggest insults a working photographer can throw at someone else. I don’t know if print journalists have a similar term for writers who give away the farm, but if they do, you would definitely fit the description.
At what point will any of you aspiring writers, photographers, graphic artists, or (fill in the blank), realize that except for the very rare few who catch a lucky break, working for free is not and will never be a viable business model or the first step in making a living wage in any industry? It’s time to be big boys and girls, educate each other about not seeing the forest for the trees, and stop giving away the farm.
***
It will be interesting to see if I scored any points and made someone think or if I am, once again, tilting at windmills when it comes to the working for free issue.
Thoughts anyone?
~ Jody ~
~ Jody Gomez ~
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3 comments:
Well, I have done that sort of work OFF AND ON in addition to other paid writing work for 12 years — I’m not sure where you got the 22 figure from, since I only started in 1998 — and I have been published and paid on occasion. That’s what freelancers do, isn’t it?
Many people in creative industries do not expect to make their entire living from those enterprises. I don’t see why this should not apply to journalism as much as to playwriting or acting or any other labor of love.
I’ve been in several major newspapers, on a national syndicated wire, and I currently write for a network affiliate website. I don’t really care if I have to do something else as well to help pay the bills.
It seems like the alternative is to either just send out resumes while working temp jobs, or to give up on one’s ambitions entirely.
If you are making a living just with your photography, I’m happy for you. Really, I am — I mean that sincerely. But do you really think those who haven’t made it yet should just give up?
It is also worth adding that I have turned these efforts into several long-term or permanent professional writing jobs. I have made my living as a writer of one sort or another since 1997, though not always in the capacity I would have wished.
Am I outside the norm on this? Yes, and I would not want to get anyone's hopes up. I'm just stating what my own experience has been.
PJ – First off, I apologize for my miscalculation – it’s a good thing I’m not in a business that requires advanced math skills. :-)
Secondly, no, I don’t think that those starting out should throw in the towel. Absolutely not. I only stepped on my soapbox because the way your comment was worded led me to believe that most of your work since 1998 has been for free, which sets a very bad example for the up and coming. I cringe every time I hear about another talented artist who is deluded into thinking that receiving credit as payment so they can “build their portfolio” is as good as receiving credit AND payment.
We fight the same demon in photography, and it’s so easy for those who look up to us to misconstrue what we do and how we we got here.
Perhaps we photographers and you writers should band together and report (or editorialize) on the state of our collective industries. The pen (and picture) is mightier than the sword and it’s only together that we can affect change. Perhaps by joining forces we can educate enough aspiring journalists and photographers about how to really make a go of it in this crazy business.
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