Are Bakersfield writers getting exploited by the mainstream media? N.L. discusses in an afternoon with the Writers of Kern - By N.L. Belardes
Whereas Ray Hacke, Citizen Journalist Editor of the Bakersfield Californian gave a rousing pep talk to present opportunities for everyday folks to get published in the Bakersfield Californian and its niche markets, my speech was more like one gentleman described as a “shotgun blast.”
Ray Hacke of the Bakersfield Californian listens to the Writers of Kern
Hacke delivers his pitch to local writers
Although I read from a lengthy speech on “Aggressive Blogging for Today’s Writers,” I purposely strayed and began by declaring a caveat to what Ray Hacke described as great opportunities for local writers: submitting material to the Bakersfield Californian and its niche markets to be published for free.
“There is a moral and ethical dilemma that writers face in today’s world of blogging and providing free content to the media," I said. "Just a few years ago I was writing for Citysearch.com and getting a hundred or so bucks for 150 word pieces. We have now entered an era of exploited citizen labor by the mainstream media publishing content without paying writers.”
Although that doesn’t mean folks shouldn’t write for free, it does mean there is a danger in the system. I go on to say later in my speech, “Bloggers just may be in a new age of global farm workers, farming words like beets and asparagus so the farmer media can resell those yummy foodstuffs to eager eaters of online information. Maybe bloggers need a union. Who knows?”
A revolutionary thought, for sure, but truthful. Ray Hacke gets a salary to harvest writers and their content. What do the writers get? Although he is right that a very few writers get paid gigs out of the deal, and getting published in the newspaper could lead toward greater credibility, that still means the majority of citizen writers are writing for free.
Members of the Writers of Kern listen in as N.L. gives his "Shotgun Speech".
Does that mean citizen writers should always write for free? No. No one should always write for free if their content is being consistently used to sell newspapers.
Because of the advent of the Internet and blogging, words have become devalued. If the average person can continually contribute free content without an end goal in mind of eventually getting paid, that means such writers don’t understand that what they do is as valuable as a farm worker helping to get food onto tables.
Words or foodstuffs, it’s no different to me. We all have to work to make a living, what does it matter if it’s cantaloupe or wordsmithing?
Farmers used to exploit farm workers by actually making them have to start as apprentices, working for free for short amounts of time, and sometimes even paying the farmer so they could start working for them. Is that what's happening?
At the same time, I promoted the hell out of Bakotopia (owned by the Californian) and passed out free T-shirts and flyers. I called the Californian perhaps the most progressive newspaper in the country. And I also described how with Bakotopia, traffic is directed back to me. I get something out of it for now. As a writer who wants to network and sell books, being highly visible has a value. Writers need to make sure they have their own web pages so traffic can be directed back to them.
I went on to also describe along with my regular speech, that though Bakotopia has as a target an audience that ranges between the years of 18-35, savvy writers can actually shape Bakotopia, help give it direction, and even direct it into other markets just by way of kinds of varying the content uploaded.
“Already we’re seeing Matt Munoz change the very face of Bakotopia by providing an outlet for citizen journalist content that reaches beyond their target market. Your voice can shape the direction of the media,” I said.
Of course I joked around and told Ray Hacke "plug your ears" when talking of controversy, which I don’t even look at as controversy, but rather the realistic side, the truth of what is happening because of citizen contributions to the mainstream media.
How do you fix the dilemma, this writer trap of writing for free while others make money off the hard work of writers? You have to ask yourself what the newspaper values more, citizen words or their relationships with advertisers? Who is replaceable? That’s hard to say. The Bakersfield Californian is a business. They want to survive. I told the audience, “The newspaper is dying, they’re a business and they’re using smart tactics by including the readers into their paper.”
And why not? An article in a paper means a natural gossip chain of, “Did you see what I got in the paper?” to who knows how many folks. That can lead to selling more papers and may also mean the local newspaper staying alive.
But exploited labor? Emerging writers aren’t even aware of what’s happening to them, to their words, and to their writing future, if they have one. They’re feeling empowered, but all they’re getting is an ego boost.
It’s also important to let people know that blogging began outside the world of journalism. Journalism has taken blogging to try to reshape their own industry. Don’t let the Californian dupe you into believing that blogging in Bakersfield is just about the Californian. I found it interesting that while much of my speech talked about the Californian, discussed them in a positive and negative light, that nothing in Ray Hacke’s speech indicated that blogs existed outside of the realm of the local newspaper.
Did Ray Hacke even know I was part of the Bakersfield Californian blog community until they kicked me out and called me an uncivil bully for criticizing their lack of entertainment reporting? Don't forget, Danielle Belton was a part of my blog community until I kicked her out for the Californian's poor handling of my criticism. Funny how they only like criticism in their edited opinion section, or in blog comments they can monitor.
Should I take offense at Ray Hacke ignoring my contributions to the Bakersfield world of blogging as the leading citizen journalist? No. People aren’t necessarily programmed like robots by the corporations they work for, but cool guys like Ray Hacke have to be careful in how they express themselves in a speech that is an extension of their workplace. He needs his paycheck. I can’t blame him for being careful with his words. After all, local niche market newspapers need more community contributors so the Bakersfield Californian’s many extensions can sell lots of ads and rake in serious cash that doesn't filter back to the contributors.
I can only explore further into the truth so you can make up your own mind about what you believe.
Terry Redman snaps a photo...
The Writers of Kern are a great and diverse group. Helen Shanley and Terry Redmen are standout folks who set up a great luncheon topic that I hope will continue to be debated in local writing circles.
Bob Weiss and his new book cover design
I met Bob Weiss who wrote a book titled, Look At Me I’m Talking To You: Your Body Tells You When You Have Nutritional Deficiencies, Are You Listening? I know I will read his work. My body has been trying to tell me all kinds of crazy things over the past several months. Not sure we’ve been speaking the same language though.
I also met Robbie Byrne, piper, novelist and winner of the BBC Radio Playwright Award. His novel, Mulligan’s Pennies is part fiction, part true-to-life and details the trials of a character whose own troubled life takes him from Ireland to England and to the troubled lands of Northern Ireland. I’ll be writing more about his work soon as he has an appearance coming up at the local Barnes and Noble. (Here's a link to the story, "Whiskey Galore at the local brewery" where I mentioned Robbie playing pipes for the Queen of England. He refers to her as "Liz".)
Local writer Margie Custer stands to speak to the gathering
I also met Margie Custer, a main community contributor to the Bakersfield Californian’s Southwest Voice. She indicated she has had a few paid gigs—that’s a positive sign in the local exploited realm of unpaid writers. Margie’s contributions have included theatre reviews and even The China Chronicles. She’s working on a horror novel. Who knows, maybe she’ll let us all see a taste of her frightful work right here on nlbelardes.com.
Ray Hacke of the Bakersfield Californian listens to the Writers of Kern
Hacke delivers his pitch to local writers
Although I read from a lengthy speech on “Aggressive Blogging for Today’s Writers,” I purposely strayed and began by declaring a caveat to what Ray Hacke described as great opportunities for local writers: submitting material to the Bakersfield Californian and its niche markets to be published for free.
“There is a moral and ethical dilemma that writers face in today’s world of blogging and providing free content to the media," I said. "Just a few years ago I was writing for Citysearch.com and getting a hundred or so bucks for 150 word pieces. We have now entered an era of exploited citizen labor by the mainstream media publishing content without paying writers.”
Although that doesn’t mean folks shouldn’t write for free, it does mean there is a danger in the system. I go on to say later in my speech, “Bloggers just may be in a new age of global farm workers, farming words like beets and asparagus so the farmer media can resell those yummy foodstuffs to eager eaters of online information. Maybe bloggers need a union. Who knows?”
A revolutionary thought, for sure, but truthful. Ray Hacke gets a salary to harvest writers and their content. What do the writers get? Although he is right that a very few writers get paid gigs out of the deal, and getting published in the newspaper could lead toward greater credibility, that still means the majority of citizen writers are writing for free.
Members of the Writers of Kern listen in as N.L. gives his "Shotgun Speech".
Does that mean citizen writers should always write for free? No. No one should always write for free if their content is being consistently used to sell newspapers.
Because of the advent of the Internet and blogging, words have become devalued. If the average person can continually contribute free content without an end goal in mind of eventually getting paid, that means such writers don’t understand that what they do is as valuable as a farm worker helping to get food onto tables.
Words or foodstuffs, it’s no different to me. We all have to work to make a living, what does it matter if it’s cantaloupe or wordsmithing?
Farmers used to exploit farm workers by actually making them have to start as apprentices, working for free for short amounts of time, and sometimes even paying the farmer so they could start working for them. Is that what's happening?
At the same time, I promoted the hell out of Bakotopia (owned by the Californian) and passed out free T-shirts and flyers. I called the Californian perhaps the most progressive newspaper in the country. And I also described how with Bakotopia, traffic is directed back to me. I get something out of it for now. As a writer who wants to network and sell books, being highly visible has a value. Writers need to make sure they have their own web pages so traffic can be directed back to them.
I went on to also describe along with my regular speech, that though Bakotopia has as a target an audience that ranges between the years of 18-35, savvy writers can actually shape Bakotopia, help give it direction, and even direct it into other markets just by way of kinds of varying the content uploaded.
“Already we’re seeing Matt Munoz change the very face of Bakotopia by providing an outlet for citizen journalist content that reaches beyond their target market. Your voice can shape the direction of the media,” I said.
Of course I joked around and told Ray Hacke "plug your ears" when talking of controversy, which I don’t even look at as controversy, but rather the realistic side, the truth of what is happening because of citizen contributions to the mainstream media.
How do you fix the dilemma, this writer trap of writing for free while others make money off the hard work of writers? You have to ask yourself what the newspaper values more, citizen words or their relationships with advertisers? Who is replaceable? That’s hard to say. The Bakersfield Californian is a business. They want to survive. I told the audience, “The newspaper is dying, they’re a business and they’re using smart tactics by including the readers into their paper.”
And why not? An article in a paper means a natural gossip chain of, “Did you see what I got in the paper?” to who knows how many folks. That can lead to selling more papers and may also mean the local newspaper staying alive.
But exploited labor? Emerging writers aren’t even aware of what’s happening to them, to their words, and to their writing future, if they have one. They’re feeling empowered, but all they’re getting is an ego boost.
It’s also important to let people know that blogging began outside the world of journalism. Journalism has taken blogging to try to reshape their own industry. Don’t let the Californian dupe you into believing that blogging in Bakersfield is just about the Californian. I found it interesting that while much of my speech talked about the Californian, discussed them in a positive and negative light, that nothing in Ray Hacke’s speech indicated that blogs existed outside of the realm of the local newspaper.
Did Ray Hacke even know I was part of the Bakersfield Californian blog community until they kicked me out and called me an uncivil bully for criticizing their lack of entertainment reporting? Don't forget, Danielle Belton was a part of my blog community until I kicked her out for the Californian's poor handling of my criticism. Funny how they only like criticism in their edited opinion section, or in blog comments they can monitor.
Should I take offense at Ray Hacke ignoring my contributions to the Bakersfield world of blogging as the leading citizen journalist? No. People aren’t necessarily programmed like robots by the corporations they work for, but cool guys like Ray Hacke have to be careful in how they express themselves in a speech that is an extension of their workplace. He needs his paycheck. I can’t blame him for being careful with his words. After all, local niche market newspapers need more community contributors so the Bakersfield Californian’s many extensions can sell lots of ads and rake in serious cash that doesn't filter back to the contributors.
I can only explore further into the truth so you can make up your own mind about what you believe.
Terry Redman snaps a photo...
The Writers of Kern are a great and diverse group. Helen Shanley and Terry Redmen are standout folks who set up a great luncheon topic that I hope will continue to be debated in local writing circles.
Bob Weiss and his new book cover design
I met Bob Weiss who wrote a book titled, Look At Me I’m Talking To You: Your Body Tells You When You Have Nutritional Deficiencies, Are You Listening? I know I will read his work. My body has been trying to tell me all kinds of crazy things over the past several months. Not sure we’ve been speaking the same language though.
I also met Robbie Byrne, piper, novelist and winner of the BBC Radio Playwright Award. His novel, Mulligan’s Pennies is part fiction, part true-to-life and details the trials of a character whose own troubled life takes him from Ireland to England and to the troubled lands of Northern Ireland. I’ll be writing more about his work soon as he has an appearance coming up at the local Barnes and Noble. (Here's a link to the story, "Whiskey Galore at the local brewery" where I mentioned Robbie playing pipes for the Queen of England. He refers to her as "Liz".)
Local writer Margie Custer stands to speak to the gathering
I also met Margie Custer, a main community contributor to the Bakersfield Californian’s Southwest Voice. She indicated she has had a few paid gigs—that’s a positive sign in the local exploited realm of unpaid writers. Margie’s contributions have included theatre reviews and even The China Chronicles. She’s working on a horror novel. Who knows, maybe she’ll let us all see a taste of her frightful work right here on nlbelardes.com.
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Sunday, May 21, 2006.
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Sounds like it was a worthwhile event. Great pics too! Hope they all learned a lot from you, Professor Belardes...
You gave an empowering speech yesterday! I don't think the group were expecting such a much needed talk. I agree with you that writers need to be careful about writing for free. Writing for free for yourself on your own blog or website, promoting yourself, using your own voice, working on your own art is quite different from the mainstream media enticing you to write for free and then selling your words to the public without paying you for them.
Sure it's fun to see your name or your words in print and its an ego boost, but it's something local writers should be aware of and careful about.
Maybe the "look at me when I'm talking to you" guy could use my "Look at me when I'm hitting you" song to promote his book? Ah yes! The Filthies and whats his face, tonight on channel 8! I wish I could have been at that meeting and seen you in action Professor.
Tres interesting. When writers work for free, they keep down the rates for all of us. Way to get the message out there.
Cindy Wathen
www.cindywathen.com
just write. yes, maybe locals are exploited. isn't that the corporate capitalist way? hahahaha... anyhow, who cares. if you love to do it, you'll just do it. and then throw it in their faces. i don't know who "they" are, but they won't like what you write. it's a losing battle around here, putting energy into deflating the fat cats. however, that doesn't mean we should stop creating and producing. blablabla i'm starting to rant.
greg goodsell & i did WOK gig one time on the underground press. i was there to talk about the BBd. greg wrote up a treatise on underground - alternative - some other classification press. he had careful notes, typed, in a plastic binder. i had notes scribbled on the back of a hamburger wrapper. he talked 50 mins, so i had 5. it was perfect that way cause people maybe thought i had something meaningful to say. if you've read this far, you know that couldn't have been the case.
i had a good dress on that day, though. and we got free grub. :) i was happy for my friend greg, far the expert to me in most things.
and de acuerdas - the californian's blog thing is funny: "contribute, good citizens, we want your voice to be heard..." and then they censor it, leaving all the sics in, move letters to the ed they don't approve of to the blog section, etc. make the writers look like dweebs, in other words. ha! well, they don't pretend to be a free press, so i guess what's my complaint. i expect equity and enlightenment from a corporate entity, so who's being the dummy? it all boils down to moolah, anyhow, not reporting or The People,... oops; rambling again. i'm glad you got to do this gig. it's fun to be versatile & especially when maybe a mind is changed in the process. :)
There was a great reaction from the WOK. I'm hoping some of them add blogging to their diet.
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