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Kid writes for Bleacher Report, never gets paid

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by NDJournalist, Jul 22, 2014.

  1. NDJournalist

    NDJournalist Active Member

    Very interesting piece on Deadspin right now.

    http://deadspin.com/the-top-200-ways-bleacher-report-screwed-me-over-1608499729
     
  2. JimmyHoward33

    JimmyHoward33 Well-Known Member

    I don't understand BR's ranking system and badges. When did the writer have good reason to believe he'd ever be paid? He knew going in that the writing wasn't paid and that leading to a paid gig later was all a "maybe" right?

    What BR does is bogus on many levels, as has been discussed other places on the site many times, but I've always seen it as pretty transparent in that regard
     
  3. Read and weep

    Read and weep Member

    For the life of me, I can't figure out how B/R is the third-biggest sports site. I'm a long-time sports journalist, I hang out with dozens of rabid sports fans and I don't know ANYONE who goes to B/R, including myself. Not one.

    As for the writers who write for free for B/R: You get what you deserve for letting a huge corporation make millions of dollars off your hard work. Frankly, this place sounds like a sophomoric enterprise that will eventually fail based on its sophomoric content.
     
  4. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    Bleacher Report isn't even the McDonald's of sports writing- it's far beneath.
    The lesson is never work for free. Unfortunate it comes at a price.
     
  5. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    Deadspin put it best a few years ago: "Google-raping SEO."
     
  6. wicked

    wicked Well-Known Member

    Dog bites man.
     
  7. BDC99

    BDC99 Well-Known Member

    And I'm sure it doesn't hurt that they have a decent amount of content on every major sports team every day. Which you can do if most of the writers are working for free.

    Feel kind of bad for this kid because he saw a few signs that he might get his shot after initially thinking it might not be the best idea to rely on B/R for a job. Seems to me they strung him along for quite a while until he finally figured it out. But did we need that 4 million word opus to figure out he got screwed? And why is it called 200 ways he got screwed? Did I miss something? And I was waiting on him to dish some dirt on Finnocchio after he led with that. Strange story.
     
  8. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    Don't. Work. For. Free.
     
  9. HookEm2014

    HookEm2014 Member

    The 200 ways he got screwed is just a play on Bleacher Report's usual string of slideshows and lists in their headlines. He did get led on quite a bit though, which is too bad. It seems like he gained some valuable experiences with the company though, the key is just knowing when to get out.
     
  10. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    I couldn't agree more. Just. Don't. Do. It. If they can't pay you, you don't write it for them. Boost your ego some other way.

    That said, what Bleacher Report did to some of these folks was reprehensible.
     
  11. alanpagerules

    alanpagerules Member

    The bottom line comes down to one word ...

    contract - noun,ˈkänˌtrakt/ 1. a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law. "Both parties must sign employment contracts."
     
  12. Den1983

    Den1983 Active Member

    And the 200 number also happens to be the total amount he was paid for his work at Bleacher Report.
     
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