Why writing on the web could run amuk
I don’t consider myself a writing or a journalism snob. I think the web has opened the flood gates to more information than ever before and that’s a good thing. However, I worry about reliability and credibility.
To be a journalist and write for newspapers has always been a source of great pride for me and while I learned more from doing than I ever did in the classroom, there was a foundation I picked up from more experienced writers and editors in the industry. And “sourcing” stories was an important lesson. There is a huge difference between finding an expert and writing solely from your own anecdotal experience. There’s a huge difference between getting information yourself and “aggregating” it from other outlets.
One person is a journalist, the other is a typist — in my opinion. And the typists get web hits, so more and more companies are willing to pay typist prices and label their web sites as “news.”
I’ve written for Demand Studios and Examiner.com and I’ve loved it because it’s given me the freedom to write on topics I’m passionate about — particularly food. I’ve gotten positive feedback from readers and built up a collection of clips, but the economy of it caught up with me.
From Advertising Age:
“Examiners” are paid anywhere from $1 to $7.50 for every thousand page views, based on a black-box formula. Writers associated with a sponsored area are paid only slightly more, but Mr. Blair declined to elaborate. “I tell our examiners not to quit their day jobs,” he said. “No one’s doing it for the money. They want credibility. Also, press passes. Most of the major sports teams, we have access to their field and locker rooms. A lot of news organizations dropped their sports reporters.”
For very localized topics, as examiner.com uses, it’s difficult to build those types of numbers. So it can take a couple of months to earn a buck — literally. If I can write about other things to earn money, even if the topics aren’t as engaging for me as the topics I can write for “free,” I have to do it.
It comes down to “you get what you pay for.” In this case I agree with Peter Kaplan, the former editor of the New York Observer:
”One of the things that the Jeff Jarvises of the world undermine is the importance of the editorial structure. The relationship between the reporter and the editor is the one safeguard when it comes to the business of truth telling.” In assessing the recent rise of so many content farms, Mr. Kaplan referenced Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” and perhaps minted a new quote for future observers: “What these sites are producing,” he started before a long pause: “You know what it is? It’s like sending unchecked meats out to the public.”
