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Ethics on double dipping?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by BobSacamano, Oct 8, 2011.

Page 2 of 4
  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Definitely right to be pissed off about getting an identical story.
     
    The Big Ragu, Oct 17, 2011
    #13
  2. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    ColdCat: If possible, I would dump him right away.

    He lied to you.
     
    BillyT, Oct 17, 2011
    #14
  3. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    There are no ethics. If there is anything newspaper barons and Occupy Wall Street have taught, it's get yours while the getting's good.
     
    TheSportsPredictor, Oct 17, 2011
    #15
  4. flexmaster33

    flexmaster33 Well-Known Member

    Occupy Wall Street is a joke...I wouldn't be taking my lessons from a bunch of whiners with cardboard signs.
     
    flexmaster33, Oct 17, 2011
    #16
  5. JPsT

    JPsT Member

    Yes. As with so many things in our business, the issue is the lack of transparency. He went behind your back about it instead of being an adult and addressing it when he first came on board.
     
    JPsT, Oct 17, 2011
    #17
  6. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    You absolutely have a right to be pissed off about No. 2. But for No. 1, I'd say that unless you had an agreement on exclusivity with the guy, then you really don't have a right to be upset. What the guy does on his own time, and how he chooses which job to work for, is his business.

    But yeah, identical stories is ridiculous.
     
    Baron Scicluna, Oct 18, 2011
    #18
  7. Cigar56

    Cigar56 Member

    OK, I'll play devil's advocate:

    1. Why are identical stories a bad idea IF they 100 percent serve the readers in different markets?

    2. How do we define original stories off the same event by the same reporter? A different lead and a few tweaks here and there?
     
    Cigar56, Oct 20, 2011
    #19
  8. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Well, it would depend if a contract is in effect that says the writer is giving something exclusive. Even if it is done informally, I think an expectation of original work that is produced only for you is reasonable. If the writer has ideas that it isn't, he should be discussing it with you up front as in, "It's OK if I. ..." rather than doing it behind your back. Based on what the poster described, it sounded like the writer was being a bit slimy about how he went about it, rather than being straightforward. It's not a matter of whether the single story serves readers in both markets. It's that for your paper, you may want something exclusive to differentiate yourself from the other markets.

    My understanding was that it was exact same. I don't write for newspapers, but back when I did a lot of magazine stories, I was pretty good at selling pretty much the same feature to multiple publications. I'd change it enough so it wasn't the same story, though. And given that different magazines have different voices and are looking for slightly different angles, it could be the easiest way to maximize a payday for not too much more work. You could vary the quotes you used, angle the story slightly differently and tweak the voice and you really might have two or three or four different stories on your hande, but without having done two or three or four times the amount of work. Nothing unethical there, because the work I was submitting was not the identical story to two different publications.
     
    The Big Ragu, Oct 20, 2011
    #20
  9. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    Doule dipping is only unethical if you have an agreement, written or verbal, prohibiting it. Otherwise, it's editors getting their panties in a twist over something that if it's important enough to need an original story, they should assign a staffer to cover it.
     
    Stitch, Oct 20, 2011
    #21
  10. Cigar56

    Cigar56 Member

    Ragu: Nice insight. I do believe that it is impossible for one writer to write two original game stories. The quotes, facts and important themes are all the same. Two original sidebars? Yes. Two gamers? No.

    Obviously if a reporter is under contract not to provide a story for other outlets, then that's a different story.
     
    Cigar56, Oct 20, 2011
    #22
  11. da man

    da man Well-Known Member

    Except the writer MUST be up front about it and let all parties know ahead of time what he or she will be doing. You can run into all sorts of issues writing the same event for more than one outlet, not the least of which is deadlines. If it gets tight, which story are you doing first? The editors you're working for deserve to know the details in advance, if for no other reason than to give them a chance to say no thanks if they are uncomfortable with the arrangement.
     
    da man, Oct 20, 2011
    #23
  12. flexmaster33

    flexmaster33 Well-Known Member

    Often times I'll ask for just a straight gamer...something that could be used by multiple papers without any trouble. But sometimes I'll request some sort of local slant to the story. It's not too much to ask for a writer to throw in a paragraph of local team highlights and tweak the lead.
     
    flexmaster33, Oct 21, 2011
    #24
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