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Bleacher Report - What do you make of this?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by IllMil, Dec 16, 2009.

  1. IllMil

    IllMil Active Member

    ######,
    Thanks for your recent application for the Sportswriting Internship at Bleacher Report.

    This represents a six-month contract position that can be done remotely with a pay stipend of $1,000 a month. The candidate will be considered for a FT position after the internship ends but no guarantees exist for FT opportunities.

    The sportswriting internship will necessitate Mon-Fri availability and the exact work hours are to be determined (either an 8 a.m.-4 p.m. shift or 9 a.m.-5 p.m. are being considered). The expectation is that the sportswriting intern will be turning around topical stories about breaking events, utilizing SEO practices to supplement the more in-depth analysis on Bleacher Report. These stories will be short and turned around quickly and the expectation is that the intern will write anywhere from 10-15 stories per day tying into popular search trends. Experience in a deadline-oriented environment and the ability to craft crisp, clean copy quickly are crucial to succeed in this role.

    Phone interviews will be conducted in the next week or so and four candidates will be chosen to work one-week paid trials during the month of January with one candidate selected to begin work late January/early February.

    If still interested, please advise and feel free to ask any appropriate questions. You will be contacted again if selected to advance to the phone interview stage of the process.

    Thanks for your interest.

    Joe Yanarella
    Editor-in-Chief
    Bleacher Report
     
  2. IllMil

    IllMil Active Member

    OK, I’m very young and unemployed, but I was just wondering what you guys make of this. I’m not stupid but there are a few things that don’t add up here. First is the 10-15 “stories” a day. I don’t know how that’s possible unless all but one or two of them suck.

    Joe Yanarella seems like a decent guy with a decent background, but this just smells like bullshit. Plus, I don’t know how this would help you in the long run because it isn’t reporting. What employer will give a shit if I can sit on my ass and blog for eight hours a day? On the flipside it seems like the easiest way to make $1,000 a month I have ever heard of.

    I got the e-mail above after I sent my resume and samples to a Craigslist ad that didn’t name the company. I didn’t reply to this one right away and today I got another e-mail from Joe saying “he didn’t get a response but wanted to know if I was still interested.”

    I just want to know if you guys know/think anything about this. Thanks.
     
  3. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    The easiest way to make $1000 a month? They want you for 40 hours a week. Do the math.
     
  4. IllMil

    IllMil Active Member

    $1,000 for sitting by your computer and ranting. For someone who makes $0 a month right now for doing the same thing, it doesn't sound that bad.
     
  5. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    It's that attitude--receiving a little bit of money for a lot of work is better than receiving no money for a lot of work--that allows pieces of shit like Bleacher Report to exploit the shit out of the vast pool of job applicants and feast on the carcass of this business.

    Your work, and your effort, should be worth more than an insulting stipend. And if you can't find someone who believes that? Better to be out of the biz than be exploited.

    Fuck Bleacher Report and their shitty-ass brethren.
     
  6. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Oddly enough, I was just about to quote his post and say it might be good for you then.

    Huh.
     
  7. fishhack2009

    fishhack2009 Active Member

    Funniest part of the post:

    ...utilizing SEO practices to supplement the more in-depth analysis on Bleacher Report.

    Gotta love unintentional comedy!! :D
     
  8. Den1983

    Den1983 Active Member

    This is true, of course, but as has been stated, $1,000 is better than $0. If it's a last resort type of move for someone, they could do worse ... such as doing work for free.
     
  9. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    You could find a minimum-wage job, which would be MORE money than this, and use your spare time to pitch freelance stories or maybe string ballgames for your local paper. That would be better for your career than cranking out assembly-line junk. Like you said, this isn't reporting. And, like you said, this smells like bullshit.
     
  10. JJHHI

    JJHHI Member

    This. The utter crap you will produce if you're trying to churn out 20 "stories" a day from your couch will not help you land a decent paying job in this business. Focus your energy elsewhere.
     
  11. IllMil

    IllMil Active Member

    I don't disagree with anything that's been said. I thought I would add that I'm more trying to get into PR and not in newspapers. What do you think is worse, this, or an unpaid internship at an agency? I'm not being facetious, I'm curious about what you have to say. Slave labor is bullshit and they are taking advantage of me. At the same time, no one will even look at my resume without an internship. My only two options for the next six months may very well be this, unpaid agency work, or stockboy.

    It seems to me that slave labor at an agency is the best career move, no?
     
  12. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    If you're presenting those as the only two options, yes, take the unpaid internship. At least you'll be in an office with people seeing you work. BR would be holding you hostage from 9 to 5 for $40 a day, and that's not enough money to sacrifice those prime hours when you could be in a true working environment.
     
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