HuffPo: The downside of an open, unpaid model's effect on content
Posted by Simon Day on July 31, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Unpaid contributors, when used too much, can have a negative effect on quality, Gawker reported yesterday, citing the Huffington Post as an example.
Ariana Huffington doesn't pay most of her contributing writers; therefore, those writing for the popular online publication "must make the work pay elsewhere, and this is where HuffPo gets itself into trouble," Gawker's Ryan Tate writes.
Ariana Huffington doesn't pay most of her contributing writers; therefore, those writing for the popular online publication "must make the work pay elsewhere, and this is where HuffPo gets itself into trouble," Gawker's Ryan Tate writes.
In one example, Tate cites the recent claim of a HuffPo columnist who wrote about colon cleansing as a possible treatment for swine flu. The author of the article, Kim Evans, used the article and the site for self-promotion of her book, Cleaning Up! The Ultimate Body Cleanse.
Tate also cites William Thompson Jr., New York City's comptroller and mayoral candidate, also resident Huffington Post contributor, as another example. According to The New Republic, a recent piece by Thompson is used as a personal platform for Thompson to bash Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, while also leaving out the fact that Thompson is running for mayor (the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, appointed Klein).
Because the news article-like blogs are unpaid, the authors write them for another aspect of personal gain, which calls into question credibility.
Tate also cites William Thompson Jr., New York City's comptroller and mayoral candidate, also resident Huffington Post contributor, as another example. According to The New Republic, a recent piece by Thompson is used as a personal platform for Thompson to bash Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, while also leaving out the fact that Thompson is running for mayor (the current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, appointed Klein).
Because the news article-like blogs are unpaid, the authors write them for another aspect of personal gain, which calls into question credibility.
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