SEC Football Writers

I'm curious, what kind of compensation per article can one expect?

 

Done, done, and done.

 

We haven't finalized compensation, so don't hold me to this, but currently we're discussing $15 to $25 per story.

 

Do you keep an archive for writers stories?

 

What a shitshow.

Run from this, young writers. Go cover preps for your local daily instead. This will get you nowhere.

 

Yeah, because we all know newspapers are the future of the industry! I've done the preps for a local daily route out of college, and I'm making a 50 percent higher salary now with online stuff. So many more opportunities in 2015 online, as well -- for example, I came to SDS as a beat writer last July and now I'm running the editorial side of the website. That doesn't happen at a local daily newspaper.

Also, there's the business side. We averaged 15 million page views per month last season, and more than twice that in November. How many daily newspapers can make that claim? Have we forgotten that "newspaper reporter" now is ranked as America's worst career job?

 

Every writer has a sort of profile page on the site with an archive. We use WordPress, which includes an "archive" of sorts as well.

 

They need to learn how to report, not to pontificate about SEC football for $15 a "story" for some Web site that can't even get game credentials.

 

Yeah, because the best career move is going to be stuck at a local paper covering high school lacrosse for $35,000 per year? As far as credentials, our Alabama writer flew to every game last season, even on the road, and we attended several bowl games as credentialed reporters. In addition, we covered the College Football Awards Show, the Under Armour All-American Game and SEC Media Days. We have relationships with the SEC and most school SIDs in the conference.

I just interviewed Dan Mullen, Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn on the phone last week. You think someone covering women's soccer for a 50,000-circulation paper is getting that experience?

I love newspapers -- I wish the industry was headed in a better direction -- but it's not the reality. Adapt with the times or pack it in. Anything else is sour grapes.

 

You wrote this. I didn't.

 

There's no contradiction there. You're grasping at straws.

If you have a good newspaper job, that's great. Hold onto it. I'm not advocating someone leave the Boston Globe or New York Times to come and write for our site.

But are we offering competitive freelance work and pay? Does our website have a huge following? Are we progressive, growing and offering all kinds of experience that's in line with the future of the industry? Are we one of the best websites out there in terms of utilizing social media and content distribution? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

The only s---show is you making yourself sound classless and grumpy.

 

Competitive pay is $15 a story?

They don't need to be at newspapers because newspapers are the future. I understand that they aren't. But compared to what you're offering, which is a dead end, they would be better off covering school board meetings or girls volleyball in Montana. At least they'll report there. They will not get better writing for you, they will barely be paid, and they have no job security.

Other than that, sounds terrific.

"We don't do much actual reporting."