ONLINE JOURNALISM
INTERVIEWS
Ted Koppel
Party's over for
OJR heralded the Golden Age in a two-part series detailing freelance
opportunities at seven
top content sites and at seven more Web wonders
— a sampling of 14 sites whose world view promised to overthrow the old
order and give freelance journalists their proper due as masters of the
universe.
In case any doubt lingered, the Golden Age has turned to dross.
As the Internet economy has spiraled into a bottomless free-fall, so too
have the once ubiquitous freelance gigs. Even Web sites like elance and
guru.com, which promised to revolutionize the workplace by raising "free
agents" to demigod status, have shown us a glimpse of the real future:
dozens of temps low-balling each other at rates that would make an Egyptian
slave blush.
Now that the content love fest is officially over, we resurveyed all 14
content sites for a reality check. Do they still accept freelance? Have they
slashed their rates? Do they still have a pulse?
The news is not all bad. A few of the sites that survived the carnage still
rely on contract help — and their checks don't bounce. But others have
scaled back their ambitions considerably. Content may yet rise again, but
for now, there's no sight of Pericles leading us into a new golden age.
Here's an update on the state of Web free-lancing:
Then: The award-winning crime news site, launched Nov. 11, 1998 in
New York, featured daily news and enterprise coverage written by a staff of
17 reporters and editors and a national network of correspondents that grew
to more than 130 contract writers. Rates ranged from $150 for a "quickie"
assignment to $900 for an in-depth piece, but most fell in the $350 to $450
range.
Now: The company, after a long death gurgle, filed for bankruptcy
last fall and seemed to go out of business in early January. But wait! The
site is still being updated by volunteers using Associated Press feeds! The
volunteers are apparently waiting for an investor to pump new life into the
venture. Uh, hello?
Then: At Mr. Showbiz, a site covering movies, celebrities and film
industry buzz, freelancers wrote about half the site's content, including CD
reviews, movie reviews and celebrity interviews. Rates ranged from $40 for a
quick review to $400 for an exclusive interview. Sister site Wall of Sound,
"the Web's music mecca," also published freelance offerings.
Now: Rumor has it that there is an editorial staff behind Mr. Showbiz
and Wall of Sound. If so, they've gone into hiding. The two entertainment
sites, part of the ill-fated Go Network launched by corporate parent the
Walt Disney Internet Group, must be hanging out in some virtual
no-man's-land.
There's no phone numbers for the editorial staff on either site, and no
individual e-mails for the editors listed on the staff
page. The editor we interviewed hightailed it long ago. E-mails to Mr.
Showbiz went unanswered. Several e-mails to Wall of Sound requesting a phone
number were politely rebuffed ("Hello, Thank you for your reply. Again, we
do not have a phone number for release, however, your e-mail
has been forwarded to the appropriate department. Cheers, Drew, Wall of
Sound"). We'll sure miss corresponding with our friend Drew.
For the record, Disney Internet Group lost a mind-jarring $402 million last
year, though the bulk of that, apparently, was not due to whatever was paid
out of the freelance coffers.
Update: The Hollywood Reporter reports that Walt Disney Co. announced plans to shut down Mr. Showbiz and Wall of Sound by the end of this year.
Then: The Westport., Conn., startup, launched in December 1998, targeted a
general audience seeking practical health news and information. Rates for
freelance writers ranged from $100-$150 for a 500-word daily story to up to
$300 for an exclusive story of 600-800 words.
Now: We had some problems contacting the folks at HealthScout earlier this
month; no one responded to our phone messages or e-mails. That, says
Executive Editor Barry Hoffman, was because the site's parent site,
RxRemedy, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December and the HealthScout
News Service is in the final stages of being sold to a new corporate owner.
HealthScout currently has five full-time editors, one full-time reporter and
50 freelance writers. "We're always on the outlook for general assignment
reporters who can turn out a good daily story. Having a health information
background is useful but not required," Hoffman says. "What is required is
bright writing in the second-person singular to make the story as compelling
and relevant to readers as possible."
The site posts 17 to 22 new stories a day, competing against Reuters Health
and Associated Press. "We're a wire service, not a dotcom," Hoffman says.
"We serve hospitals, HMOs, Blue Shield, Blue Cross, newspapers, broadcast
stations and dotcoms. We are Davids fighting Goliaths. When you are the
smallest unit in the battle, you've got to be damned good, and we are."
Contact senior editor John Dillon.
Then: Orato, a Webzine headquartered in Niue, New Zealand, described
itself as a first-person narrative news magazine and "global soapbox ...
that delivers the news in its purest form." The zine touted fees ranging
from $100 to $400 for accounts of current events running 400 to 2,000 words,
and up to $50 per photo or short video clip. The site's goal was to become a
daily magazine in the spring of 1999.
Now: Rebekka, who answered the e-mail at publisher@orato.com,
reports: "Orato is still (sigh) in the process of getting enough capital
raised to get launched. As you are probably aware, online content is a tough
sell this past while, and so we are re-organizing to go ahead. We hope to
complete our fund raising in the next couple of months. Free-lance
contributions will always be welcomed."
Getting paid for those contributions is another story.
Then:The San Francisco-based news destination for teenagers welcomed
short pieces from freelancers covering sports, technology, personal
computing, health, science and finance. Rates ranged from 50 cents to a
dollar a word.
Now: React has survived, thanks in part to its acquisition last
October by JP Kids, Inc., a media company targeting young teens. Josh
Rohmer, associate producer and content manager, says the site is seeking
additional freelance reporters to contribute short pieces.
"React.com focuses on interactive content like quizzes and polls for our
audience of smart, edgy 13- to 17-years-olds," Rohmer says. "Topics range
from current events, music, activism, dating, sports, movies and television
to health, finance, and technology. All the pieces we commission are
written to both entertain and enlighten teens. Our tone is edgy but
responsible."
Rates range from 15 cents to 50 cents a word. Contact Josh Rohmer.
Then:The online publication in San Mateo, Calif., then called Upside
Today, featured short, timely, Web-only stories on technology and finance in
addition to publishing content from Upside, a monthly magazine geared to the
executive crowd. Rates started at 50 cents a word.
Now: J.T. Farley, editor-in-chief of Upside.com, reports that
Upside.com no longer accepts freelance articles because of cost-cutting
measures. "The whole landscape has changed," he says. "We have a staff of
dedicated online writers and editors who do upwards of a dozen original
Web-only pieces every day. We also write text stories using interviews and
other material from Upside.com's Internet radio network. And of course, we
publish all the content featured in each month's Upside magazine."
Then: The technology news publication used freelancers for most of
its channels, including Web development, computer help, Windows, Linux and
e-commerce, reported editor Stephen Howard. ZDNet paid a flat fee of $300
per story, with articles averaging 500 words.
Now: Howard, now the vice president of content and services, says
ZDNet still accepts freelance. "If anything, there's an increase in
opportunities for freelancers because of our merger with CNET," he says.
While the economic slowdown has whittled down the freelance budget in some
areas, the rates have not been lowered.
"We're expanding internationally and now our approach is to buy all rights
inperpetuity for all pieces we purchase," Howard says, "so we anticipate a
rate increase for writers in line with that." Generally, the site pays 50
cents to $1 a word, with articles ranging from 500 to 5,000 words.
Contact Stephen Howard, or call (415)
551-4842. He will direct you to the appropriate section editor.
Then: Impression magazine, an online magazine funded by the
University of Missouri School of Journalism, featured work from new and
established writers and critics. Published every two weeks, the zine ran
everything from personal essays and science stories to
author interviews, book reviews and short stories. Rates ran $50-$500 for
columns, and up to 75 cents a word for assigned feature stories, said editor
Andy Wang.
Now: The site has changed its name to Ironminds.com. Reports Wang: "We're
still up and running, but we're no longer buying pieces. This is a
labor-of-love at this point. Every piece we run is a volunteer
contribution."
Contact Andy Wang.
Then: The veteran webzine made its mark publishing thoughtful,
sometimes biting analysis, opinion and essays on a wide range of subjects:
culture, technology, politics, media. Rates ranged from 40 cents to $1 a
word.
Now: Feed is alive and well and still kicking up a digital dirtstorm
on occasion. Founding editor Stephen Johnson advises prospective writers to
study the site and interact in the Loop forums before making a story pitch.
Says Johnson: "Our rates have not really changed that much, though it's not
so often that we pay a dollar a word for a story. Then again, I'm not sure
it was all that common back then, either."
Pitches should be sent to editor@feedmag.com.
Then: MSNBC had a fairly generous freelance budget. The Travel
section, for example, showcased 800- to 1,200-word features on destinations
with a strong news peg and helpful information on lodging, restaurants and
attractions. Rates ranged from $300 to $800. MSNBC's Sports, Opinions,
Business, Health and Technology sections also took freelance.
Now: Like other online news sites, MSNBC is weathering the online
advertising downturn, forcing a modest tightening of the freelance budget.
The site has also solidified its partnerships with major news providers in
several categories during the past two years.
Says Editor-in-Chief Merrill Brown: "We have a substantial budget. We have
not significantly cut it back. We continue to assign and publish great
freelance journalism. We are, however, being prudent about expanding and
adding new columns and features. We have a large number of marvelous
freelances who make great contributions to our site and are well compensated for their efforts."
Contact Executive Editor Thomas
Brew.
Then: The technology news site, at the vanguard of the digital news
revolution, ran quick-hit freelance pieces on technology, culture, politics
and business, starting at about 40 cents a word.
Now: The site, acquired by Lycos in June 1999, is no longer
associated with Wired magazine. Wired News has changed remarkably little in
the past two years. It still has the same four topic sections run by three editors.
Content editor Jesse Barkin tells new writers to pitch him an idea. He then
asks for clips, a resume and work history "to get a feel for their
experience." After they've done one or two pieces and signed a freelance
contract, he may begin assigning stories, especially if the writer is based
in Europe, New York, Boston or other high-tech hot spots.
Barkin, who controls the freelance purse strings for all four sections, says
Wired News pays "more than 40 cents and less than $1 a word." The site has
13 full-time reporters and 20 to 30 regular freelance writers.
Contact Jesse Barkin.
Then: Forbes, like other online tech and finance sites during
content's heyday, published a weekly Digital Tool online edition. A typical
fee was a flat rate of $1,000 for 1,500 words.
Now: Forbes Digital Tool is no more, but Forbes.com still publishes
original Web content. J. Alex Tarquinio, the investing editor, and Charles
Dubow, executive editor for lifestyle, work with contract writers most
often.
Tarquinio says: "We run shorter articles now so the flat fee rate is a bit
lower. Most of the stuff on our site is staff-written, but we do use
freelancers. We're looking especially for strong pieces on personal finance,
mutual funds, taxes, real estate or retirement."
Contact her by e-mail.
Then: The financial news, opinion and investment site, with 50 staff
reporters and editors, paid $300-$500 for articles and commentaries that
typically ran 750 words.
Now: The financial travails of TheStreet.com need not be repeated
here. The startup rode the dotcom tsunami and has been in a slow-motion
wipeout for much of the past year. But the remaining staff is carrying on
the good fight.
In response to an e-mail query on the types of freelance TheStreet.com
solicits, fee rates and advice for contributors, the ever-enigmatic,
elliptical James J. Cramer, founder and editor, says only this: "sure we do
freelance."
Adds Editor-in-Chief Dave Kansas: "We do have more than a dozen freelance
writers and have recently added several new names."
Contact Dave Kansas.
Then: The site, launched in late 1997, was just breaking out of the
financial news pack, relying on a full-time staff in San Francisco and New
York for breaking news, advice columns and investment information. Freelance
rates began at $200 to $300 per article.
Now: CBS MarketWatch is now the most visited financial news site on
the Net, with a team of more than 100 financial journalists. Executive
editor David Callaway says: "Yes, we still take free-lance stories and pay
for them. Fee structure really depends on the story, but it can be anywhere
from $150 to $500."
Contact David Callaway.
Web freelancers
We revisit 14 content sites to take
the pulse of today's freelance market
This column appeared April 27, 2001, in the Online Journalism Review. Here's the version on the OJR site.
By J.D. Lasica
Two short years ago we were partying away, Gatsby-like, in the Golden Age of
Web Freelancing, a time when dozens of spry Internet startups with an
insatiable hunger for content opened their fat wallets and showered talented
young writers, editors and artists with bylines, beaucoup bucks and long
overdue respect.
Updated: April 30, 2001
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