In major need of some help/advice ...

shagster - i think this goes beyond papers sharing stories. i think the kids at this place are taking it in the shorts to save the press' sports department some cake. and i'll be you $100 the press starts dictating deadline to these kids come FB season.

 

The only problem with this is that I would bet the kids would also miss their deadline, thus making their paper a weaker product.

 

Of course they're taking it in the shorts to save cake. This is one thing management does a brilliant job at. And, while they may be talented kids, it's dumb for a legitimate paper to leave their college sports news in the hands of amateurs. But this is what we have to do because people aren't paying for our shit anymore. How is this any different than an unpaid internship? If you don't like it, quit.

As for the deadline speculation, if their press starts dictating that, that's when you push back and constantly miss it. Fuck it, what does it matter to these unpaid kids?

 

we half agree, which is close enough for me.

 

I'm curious as to how they're going to be getting your stories. If you're involved in the sending process, then you shouldn't have to worry about being scooped. If they're just going on your Web site and taking stuff as you post it, then I guess that's different.

And joe_schmoe, I see your point about the high school kid and the combo, but remember, that kid's getting paid at least minimum wage. These kids at the college paper get nothing. That's already bullshit, but it's often par for the course at a college paper. But no professional paper (and I use that term lightly in this case) would or should be able to take a reporter's work without permission or compensation.

 

I understand the sharing going on between two Gannett papers or two McClatchy papers ... but two papers that aren't even remotely affiliated with one another and are more than 100 miles apart?

That just doesn't sit well with me ...

Also, as far as missing deadline, us spiting them would be pretty impossible. The Podunk Times has a later deadline than us. They're an afternoon paper; we already have our stories posted online before their deadline.

And I am very worried about getting scooped. We had a pretty big football scoop just last week; the sharing started this week. The Podunk Times already took that story and photo, even though it was a week late (should tell you volumes about the paper that's outsourcing to us ...). Had we started sharing last week, we would've been screwed.

Plus, we could scoop ourselves. Since we have Web updates throughout the day --- and The Podunk Times is an afternoon paper --- they could publish one of those Web stories (at a reduced price, I might add. And, no, I don't know why) before we can.

One more point, too (sorry if I'm getting longwinded ... I've never been more pissed off about anything in my life): We have a no-stringing policy when it comes to football. You can't write for another publication, BUT all of a sudden we can have our bylines in a paper whose daily circulation is barely bigger than ours? What a joke ...

 

First, I'd like to say welcome to the world of newspapers, where the Podunk Presses of the world make their paid staff work hours of overtime for free. So you're not alone.

As far as your final sentence goes, it sounds like your paper is going against its own policy. Point out to your GM that according to your paper's policy, you cannot write for another paper, which your GM wants you to do. If the GM is inflexible, then take some of your clips, quit the school paper, and hire on as a paid stringer. You'll still get more clips, and you'll get paid for it.

 

If you're an AM, and they're a PM, aren't they publishing after you? In that case, I wouldn't worry much about them stealing from your site. PMs generally have deadlines around 11 in the morning, and I doubt much of your staff is awake at that point anyway.

 

quit.

 

But Tomas, he needs money for beer.

 

true, but he could make that working PT at a real daily.

 

I'm shocked! SHOCKED, I tell you. The fucking OUTRAGE!

Tom Petty used the shift key.

Folks, the apocalypse is upon us. Amy Winehouse is the Anti Christ. We're all doomed!