NYT Will Consider Story As Long As They Don’t Have To Pay Expenses
Hobo broadsheet the New York Times, last seen telling its reporters that text messages are too expensive, has found another way to save precious nickels: getting freelancers to pay their own reporting expenses. With virtual panhandling!
Lindsey Hoshaw is a graduate of the Stanford J-school, and she wants to take a boat out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean to report on the massive floating garbage patch out there that will soon overtake us all. A worthy project! So Lindsey turned to Spot.us, where journalists pitch story ideas to the public and solicit donations for the reporting costs. (She needs $US10K):
My enthusiasm for this project is only surpassed by the amazing opportunity I’ve been offered by The New York Times to publish an article and accompanying photos of my journey.
Qua? NYT science editor Laura Chang tells us:
We did not assign an article to Lindsey Hoshaw but we have indeed agreed to consider a freelance submission from her on the Pacific garbage patch. We have talked with Spot.us about their offer to raise support for her travel expenses, and this is O.K. with us.
So, the paper of record is happy to pay, I dunno, a few grand for this story, as long as Hoshaw can independently get the ten grand it’ll cost to report it. Uh. Sounds like a good story, but yall better hope this method doesn’t get too popular, cause then you’ll really have to be rich to get into the lucrative field of journalism.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
I can see their point on this one. $10,000 for a story that has been all over the place already? What is she bringing to the table?
triplethreat
@malden: She can pull the bottles from the giant floating garbage pile.
In all seriousness, though, that thing is huge. Read an article about how these scientists were motoring through it for days. Just a huge pile of plastic crap.
ligmasagbatch
This seems like an opportunity for product un-placement. For example, if Pepsi contributes $5K, the article won't include the weight in tons of plastic Pepsi product bottles. Using this method, she could probably raise enough to buy the New York Times.
@Carol Gardens: But, but, they meant it when they said they'd keep my resume on file, right?
or intelligence agencies, hello roxana saberi?
ShabariCalvus
I need money to travel to Tahiti to report on the sand gnat problem there. It's a bargain at $7,500! Please donate.
And is the Times going to vet the funding sources for all their freelancers? I can just see the handwringing when it turns out that some political or industry group put up money to help some freelancer pay his or her way on a story.
Nuthin' new here. Back 1993/4 the Grey Lady was pulling the same tricks. I'd written a number of Arts & Leisure film pieces for them by the time they accepted my pitch for an Arts & Leisure feature on a famously hard-to-get director. First they said wouldn't reimburse me for the transatlantic call (in the pre-Skype era), then they informed me that while they still wanted the story, I had to conduct the interview in person. In Europe. On my dime. Plus ca change, folks. Don't blame this one on the Innernets.
OrtenseBabalastic
TAL did a great segment on the Pacific Gyre years ago in a show entitled "Middle of Nowhere". There are dozens of other articles on the subject.
gawkimo
"The amazing opportunity I've been offered...to publish" equals an editor stating that they will "consider a freelance submission"? Reminds me of those TV commercials that mention that the product has "been granted a patent by the United States Government". Or when people tell you someone has "taken an interest" in their amazing television project, meaning " he talked to me for a minute when I cornered him at a party." In other words, no promises were made; editor was being polite; lack of scandal.
Carol Gardens
I love that picture.
I should have been a fireman, learned to do wiring.
Muggs Bigglesworth
@kneetoe: they're called Garbage Pail Kids, they've been around since the '80s.
'
Simple solution to the Pacific garbage patch problem--Garbage Patch Dolls. They'll fly off the shelf. Now, is that recycling, or reuse?
kneetoe
The Grey Lady is soon gonna be turning tricks outside their offices.
Why doesn't she just collect soda bottles and get the 5¢ deposit back. Or even better see if she can find a friend who is a postal worker who has to drive a partially empty mail truck to Michigan so she can get 10¢.
malden