Newspaper Guild Calls on Unpaid Writers to Boycott Huffington Post

FoxNews.com ^ | 18-March-2011 | By Diane Macedo

[topher]

The national Newspaper Guild has upped the ante in a strike against the Huffington Post, calling on all unpaid writers to stop contributions to the website.

The 26,000-member union of media workers asked all unpaid contributors on Wednesday to withhold their work in support of a strike launched earlier this year by the art publication Visual Arts Source, whose writers had previously contributed free content to the Post.

"Join us in shining a light on the unprofessional and unethical practices of this company," the Guild wrote in a press release. "Just as we would ask writers to stand fast and not cross a physical picket line, we ask that they honor this electronic picket line."

The call comes in response to the Huffington Post's "refusal to compensate its thousands of writers in the wake of its $315 million merger with AOL," the Guild wrote, and its refusal to acknowledge requests to meet with Guild officials "to discuss ways the Huffington Post might demonstrate its commitment to quality journalism.”

[topher]

Interesting. I wish someone would give Jim Rob $315,000 for his work on FreeRepublic.com He pioneered this type of media, not Ariana...

[eaglestar]

Liberals eating liberals and their babies.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

It was $315M, and this was the amount paid by AOL to all owners of The Huffington Post, of which Ariana Huffington was one (and apparently the largest share owner.) But, like all businesses there are debts and obligations that have to be netted out of that total. The most serious analysts I have read on this subject estimate that she cleared between $12M and $18M on the transaction.

[Mr. K]

If JimRob got $300 million I would be HAPPY for him~!!

In fact I wish he WOULD accept money and adnvertising for this site

it is too important to go begging every quarter

which reminds me, i need to send in another donation

I might as well just put it on auto pay on my credit card

[Lorianne]

AOL lays off 900 jobs as it Purchases the Huffington Post

http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/14-arianna-port-280.jpg

900 people! Yet they’ve spent weeks slamming Scot Walker over union negotiations. I bet these 900 people wish they could have negotiated for their jobs!

[abb]

LOL! They’re carrying on like what they write is worth paying for!

[Tribune7]

The most serious analysts I have read on this subject estimate that she cleared between $12M and $18M on the transaction.

But but but does she really need that much? If she would just take a fair cut -- say $10,000 -- and divide the rest among the oppressed bloggers doesn't she realize how much suffering she would end??? Doesn't she understand social justice??? Didn't she support Obama??

I'm sure she will do the right thing in the end!!

Remember, as those courage defenders of the poor at Google say: Do no evil!!!

[fight_truth_decay]

AOL confirms layoffs of 900 workers,
Huffington Post unaffected
by MarketWatch/NEWSCORE |
Published: 2:40 PM 03/10/2011

Huffington Post Revenue and Valuation & Investors

Then Why Aren’t Rachel Maddow’s Guests Going On Strike?

Huffington said she found the idea of unpaid bloggers going on strike as ridiculous as celebrities and personalities boycotting self-promotional (unpaid) television appearances. “Go ahead! Go on strike! What does it matter?” she said. “[N]o one really notices!”

[giotto]

What debts and obligations could have been legitimately incurred by running what amounts to an internet blog? Before computers, newspapers had to buy printing presses, vast collections of type, all the equipment that went with type-setting, trucks to deliver the newspapers to the carriers, paper, ink, etc. They had to rent large buildings to house the presses and personnel, and they had to hire dozens or even hundreds of people. It was a hugely expensive enterprise. Even after computers, it was still expensive to print and deliver all those papers. Her enterprise couldn't have cost more than $100K per year.

I guess all that strawberry blond hair dye and botox adds up.

[JerseyHighlander]

The unpaid writers are actually correct here.

There is a case study on this, when Times Co. bought/acquired About.com .

Times Co. paid some ridiculous sum of about $400k PER columnist... then went and replaced 25% of them within the first year, increased columnist headcount by 25% in the first year, and that in turn boosted ad revenues by 50%.

The columnists at About.com saw NO money from the acquisition. They were basically treated as slave labor and forced to sign non-compete clauses so they couldn’t branch out and start their own websites.

Of course, About.com sorta went bust soon after,

http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=4262
“In March 2005, the Times Co. purchased About.com for $410 million, its largest acquisition since it bought the Boston Globe from the Taylor family for $1.1 billion in 1993. “

Everyone in the business is now looking back at the About.com acquisition and trying to carve out their piece of the inflated pie while the going is good.

[SuziQ]

I guess the newspaper guild is just echoing Obama, in wanting the HuffPo to ‘spread the wealth around’.