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Comic Strip of the Day

CSotD: A most difficult concept to understand

Published: May 7, 2011 1 minute 8 comments

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Wiley Miller weighs in on the Huffington Post issue.

For those who don't hang breathlessly on this stuff, the Huffington Post has had (and still has) a policy of inviting people to write for free on their web site. The most visible takers have been Ariana's Hollywood buddies, who blog about their favorite charities or their political views, as well as some fame vampires who are there to be seen and a few suckers who believe that Jeff Jarvis cr@p about how modern journalism is all about eyeballs and not about revenues.

But apparently there were some serious writers who let Ariana have their work for free because they were under the impression that she couldn't afford to pay them. And so, when she sold the site to AOL for $315 million, they somehow came under the impression that she was going to start handing it out to the people who had previously agreed to work for free, not in the sense of "from now on, you get paid," but in the sense of "Have some money, my dear, loyal friend."

I have no idea why they believed either half of that. If you even recognize her name, you should realize that the lady hadn't been out collecting empty pop bottles to get by, and if you think people who come into a lot of money routinely volunteer to share it with others … well, I wouldn't pay to hear your other opinions on reality either.

Creators of content need to be paid something. A lot or a little, doesn't matter. It's nobody's business how much you are paid, but, if you are working for a millionaire, you are a chump to demand nothing in return.

Mark Twain is often quoted as saying "Write without pay until somebody offers pay. If nobody offers pay within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for."

There is wisdom in his opinion that everybody has to learn their craft before demanding to be paid for it, and I certainly put in my time writing book reviews in exchange for a free book and writing movie reviews in exchange for getting to watch movies for free. But not for three years. And not for Ariana Huffington.

And I don't think Ariana was offering "exposure" to youngsters just out of school. Anybody who took her up on her offer was, at best, a damn fool to complain about it later. How hard is this to understand? If the Twain quote confused anyone, here's Samuel Johnson on the topic: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

(As for that apprenticeship period, Johnson also wrote to Lord Chesterfield, "Is not a patron, my lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help? The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind: but it has been delayed till I am indifferent and cannot enjoy it; till I am solitary and cannot impart it; till I am known and do not want it.")

Your opinion may vary. If so, I'm with Wiley: I'd like a new car. I'll even put your name on the side, as long as you put my name on the title.

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Comments 8

  1. Wonderful quote from Mark Twain, and one I hadn’t encountered before. But money isn’t the only form of pay. I have a craft business in addition to my day job. I don’t make a lot of money at it (last year I had a couple of shows that were complete disasters, and I ended up losing about $600 for the year), but it’s fun to be part of the craft show world, it forces me to get out and do something different, and people like my work. I’ll never work out my hourly wage, because it’s something I don’t want to know.
    Different circumstances, obviously. Nobody’s getting rich on the craft show circuit, not even the promoters–at least none of the ones I work with. The closest match I can think of to the Huffington Post situation is the Takoma Park (Maryland) Folk Festival, where the vendors pay and the musicians (seven stages) all work for free. But so do the organizers.
    A few years ago I was at the Catoctin Colorfest in Thurmont, Maryland. I was brewing a cup of tea inside my tent, and the vendors around me were getting ready for the day. I thought “this is as close to running away to join the circus as I’m ever going to get.” That experience alone was worth a large chunk of the show fee.

  4. Now about those comics. Do you pay the creators to run them here? Apparently not. But I’ll just bet you’ll say that you have a right of fair comment to do so (I’d agree) and I’d even imagine you might argue that you bring benefit to the creators by bringing them attention, eh?
    See the irony?

  5. Actually, when I posted this to my Facebook profile, I noted the irony that I was giving Wiley “exposure,” so, yes, I’m aware of the irony though, as you note, it falls under fair use as commentary and review. As for who pays me to write this, the same person pays me to write it that profits from its being written, but the great thing is, I get 100% of the gross receipts. It’s a pretty good deal, wouldn’t you say?
    Meanwhile, the overhead — my computer, my access, my living expenses — is paid for by my freelance work, which I don’t give away.
    And you’ll note that I acknowledged many people who happily blog for Ariana for reasons of vanity or to help promote a particular cause. And, honestly, if I were offered that platform, I would have to consider whether (A) the added views would increase the chances of someone contacting me for paid work and (B) whether that possibility would skew what I had to say.
    At this stage, however, I’ve provided more paying gigs for cartoonists I’ve met through my commentary than I’ve taken in on jobs commenting. My other writing, the stuff that I make a living from, is quite separate, and I don’t give that stuff away.
    To put it another way, I’ve known Revolutionary War re-enactors and I’ve known people serving in the active military. I don’t confuse the two, and the military members I’ve known don’t confuse the two. Some of the re-enactors, on the other hand, seem to be a little foggy on the distinctions. Same deal with the new journalism.

  6. It’s a shame that more people don’t try to bust you in comments, Mike. I love seeing a great Jedi in action.

  7. Pure vanity on my part — I’m sure he was just doing a hit-and-run. Machs nix.

  8. Maybe hit-and-run. But he backed up and tried to hit you again. Twice.

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