Fair price?

It's not for any of us to say how much the story is worth.

It's for Point Of Order to say.

[/crossthread]

 

What about the "keeping your job" police or the "copyright violation" police?

This really isn't an issue of journalistic ethics. More of company policy.

 

Well, if his company will let him write the piece and make some money why shouldn't he do it?

 

No reason if they will let him. Some companies want you to clear this stuff in advance and can get real snippy if you don't.

 

If you're being paid by someone you write about, and you think it's ethical, OK, let's test that theory: Tell your readers what you've done.

Describe it honestly to the readers: "... something more lengthy and in depth for them...a vanity piece, if you will."

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the business for 30 years, or for a week. This is called selling out.

Would you have the balls to tell the readers about it?

Seriously, what would you expect to hear: Um, I'm a policeman, posting on a police officer's bulletin board, and I'm planning to take a bribe, but I'm wondering, what's a fair price? Um, you know, with the economy in the state it's in, you get what you can... Um, it depends on company policy; if the boss says it's OK, to hell with ethics.

The economy is never bad enough to sell out.

 

I believe Steve Elling got fired in Orlando for doing something very much like this, with a discrepancy in what he and the bigwigs thought they had agreed upon as permissible. So if this is kosher, might be a good idea to have that in writing.

 

I'd be shocked if one out of 10 readers gave a crap.

 

I'd bet 5 in 10 readers think we do it anyway on the most basic of stories, even if we make huge strides not to.

 

I totally agree with Mizzou. The people on this board who believe in ethics live on a one-way street. Your newspaper doesn't practice it, they don't give a shit about you. Haven't we heard the stories about how newspapers are screwing over employees ad nauseum. Take what you can. I would charge 50 cents a word for this work and not much less. Stop thinking like a newspaper mook. A business will pay much more for your work.

 

If you believe $300 for a 3,100-word story is "fair" then you're crazy.

You should ask no less than $1,250 to start out and take no less than $1,000. Why devalue your skills? The industry already is rife with writers taking shitty pay. Even if it is a touchup piece, your time, skills and efforts are valuable.

 

I'm trying to determine...what's the difference between doing this and a beat writer for a hockey team writing a piece for the team program, for instance? I guess that's roughly what I equate it to.

 

The first thing that pops into my mind is that a trade magazine likely doesn't have the same audience as your paper, but the team program does.