Stringing for semi-competing newspapers

[lono]

The big thing is disclosure up front - make sure everyone knows what you're doing and get it in writing, at least in an e-mail.

You just don't want to surprise your editors.

 

[slappy4428]

One saving grace may be they are slightly different assignments. One is two straight gamers — the other is two online updates and a long wrap of the series.

But I get what you're saying slappy — though I don't think they won't mind for a fringe playoff game — it's probably best to avoid situations like this in the future.

It's the people in the middle who will see both and say WTF

 

[Stitch]

Just syndicate yourself and problem solved.

 

[Notepad]

If you have to ask...

 

[BertoltBrecht]

If you have to ask...

Yeah I know Notepad, rule No. 1 in journalism.

 

[mustangj17]

One piece of advice: DON'T string for two competing papers. If you're found out and you're not up front about what you're doing, you'll end up with no gig.

If you can do it well why not? You're probably a contract worker, you can do whatever you want. If they get mad about you working for two newspapers then tell them to pony up and put you on the actual payroll. As long as you aren't awful, they aren't going to cut you and try to find someone else, it is just too hard.

 

[forever_town]

As long as you aren't awful, they aren't going to cut you and try to find someone else, it is just too hard.

That's what YOU think. Especially with the way most newspapers are run...

And the reason you don't do that is because it's dishonest. Unless you're up front with the fact that you're stringing for more than one pub, a newspaper that assigns you to cover a game has a reasonable expectation that you're not whoring out your coverage of that game to another outlet. A lot of times, that's expressly written into your freelance writing contract.

 

[mustangj17]

As long as you aren't awful, they aren't going to cut you and try to find someone else, it is just too hard.

That's what YOU think. Especially with the way most newspapers are run...

And the reason you don't do that is because it's dishonest. Unless you're up front with the fact that you're stringing for more than one pub, a newspaper that assigns you to cover a game has a reasonable expectation that you're not whoring out your coverage of that game to another outlet. A lot of times, that's expressly written into your freelance writing contract.

In the few freelance gigs, I've had, nothing like that has been written. But I understand where you are coming from. I guess let them know up front. And make them as different as you can. I'm sure it will work out. If there are actually people out there that read both newspapers then thats good, you might actually have a job for a while.

 

[Some Guy]

sending the same story seems ethically wrong

Only because it is wrong.

I mean, it depends. For instance, let's say the game you are covering is a night game, and you will be writing on top of deadline. You don't have time to write two different stories.

I would tell Paper X up front, "Look, I'm already doing this for Paper Y. I'm not going to be able to write a separate for you. But if you're interested in the story anyway, I'll send it to you."

Then, the ball's in their court.

This happened numerous times at a paper I used to work at. There just weren't a whole lot of reliable stringers in the area, and if the choice was to run an identical story that is in a semi-competing paper or nothing, we'd choose the former everytime. It's like running wire copy, on a smaller scale.

 

[Stitch]

If there is nothing in a freelance agreement that states they get exclusivity, it's not ethically wrong to file the same story for different papers.

If a newspaper wants exclusivity, put it in the contract. It's none of their business otherwise.