Fair price?

[huntsie]

Did a profile on a guy who took over a $35 million golf/entertainment business. Wrote it as a news story for my paper. Fair enough.
This guy also happens to be a friend of mine. He wanted an expanded profile that he could take to put as a promotional piece in some trade magazine. I wrote it: 3,100 or so words. They had mentioned they would pay me for the piece, but we never agreed on a specific price.
I told them to pay me what they think is fair.
What should I have asked for? What's fair?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

How much extra time was spent expanding the story? How long was it when it ran in your paper?

I remember the good old days when $1 a word was not uncommon. Anything between $250 and $1,000 would not surprise me.

 

[jrw]

Would agree that $250-$1,000 is probably what you'll get paid. But assuming this guy has deep pockets and he's a friend of yours ... maybe you get closer to $1 per word. I've been in a similar situation before where I helped a friend out and never discussed the final figure. I ended up getting a final number that was about half what I normally received.

Moral of the story: I always make sure to get a final figure in writing before I waste my time.

 

[sgreenwell]

To clarify, it's the trade magazine paying for the piece, and not your rich friend, right? If so, I imagine they probably have some sort of scale that you'll get paid. I have no idea about your pedigree and past work obviously, but I'd want at least $300 for a long, well-done profile like that. It's about $50 for a 500 word gamer where I am, so 3,000 words is a pretty significant piece.

 

[TimmyP]

Does your paper have any problems with this?

I assume it's more than simply expanding on what you wrote for the paper, but even so, that can be dicey. I could see my former paper saying "Get what you can", or "That's a fireable offense if you don't get it approved beforehand", or anything in between.

Just curious.

 

[LevinTBlack]

Does your paper have any problems with this?

I assume it's more than simply expanding on what you wrote for the paper, but even so, that can be dicey. I could see my former paper saying "Get what you can", or "That's a fireable offense if you don't get it approved beforehand", or anything in between.

Just curious.

This was my question. It's a conflict of interest. You shouldn't have written the story for the paper due to your friendship and now you did a full profile on the side? It's one of those black and white situations. Some papers are completely fine with it and some will fire you on the spot for it. I personally do everything I can to avoid situations like this but not everyone is so big on eliminating bias'.

 

[inthesuburbs]

First, quit your day job. You can't write about people, and then take their money. (Or take their money and then write about them.)

If he's paying you, quit your job.

If he arranged for the trade publication to pay you, quit your job.

If you want to be in PR, be in PR. If you want to be in journalism, be in journalism. But you can't do both.

 

[playthrough]

Well, definitely quit doing side gigs if you're not going to get a price up front!

 

[mediaguy]

What suburbs said.

 

[ringer]

Total conflict of interest (both pieces). You should get zero. And I hope you disclosed to your editor that you knew the guy.

Since you've already breached ethics... who assigned the 3,000+ word piece? Your friend? If so, then you should charge him an advertising rate. How many pages of the magazine did it take? Call the sales dept at the magazine to figure out what advertisers pay for the equivalent space, and there's your answer.

 

[huntsie]

Just to clarify...I was told of the business deal and forwarded it to our assigning editor. After four or five days of inaction on it, I took it upon myself to do the story as a news story...it"s a major transaction for a luxury golf course and associated properties.
When the owner saw the story, he asked me if I could do something more lengthy and in depth for them...a vanity piece, if you will. I met with him again and did a more in depth profile. I should also clarify...this guy is not a friend I socialize with or deal with on a regular basis...we know and respect each other and are friendly when we are in contact over the course of covering events. I have not accepted any money for this transaction whatsoever and I guess now, I won"t. And frankly, I can do without the lectures on ethics...I\ve been in this business for 30 years and never have my ethics or honesty been questioned.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

If your paper is OK with it, take money for the piece. Tell the ethics police here to go **** themselves.

In this business, especially now, you get what you can.

 

[LongTimeListener]

It's not for any of us to say how much the story is worth.

It's for Point Of Order to say.

[/crossthread]

 

[Ace]

If your paper is OK with it, take money for the piece. Tell the ethics police here to go **** themselves.

In this business, especially now, you get what you can.

What about the "keeping your job" police or the "copyright violation" police?

This really isn't an issue of journalistic ethics. More of company policy.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Well, if his company will let him write the piece and make some money why shouldn't he do it?

 

[Ace]

Well, if his company will let him write the piece and make some money why shouldn't he do it?

No reason if they will let him. Some companies want you to clear this stuff in advance and can get real snippy if you don't.

 

[inthesuburbs]

If you're being paid by someone you write about, and you think it's ethical, OK, let's test that theory: Tell your readers what you've done.

Describe it honestly to the readers: "... something more lengthy and in depth for them...a vanity piece, if you will."

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the business for 30 years, or for a week. This is called selling out.

Would you have the balls to tell the readers about it?

Seriously, what would you expect to hear: Um, I'm a policeman, posting on a police officer's bulletin board, and I'm planning to take a bribe, but I'm wondering, what's a fair price? Um, you know, with the economy in the state it's in, you get what you can... Um, it depends on company policy; if the boss says it's OK, to hell with ethics.

The economy is never bad enough to sell out.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I believe Steve Elling got fired in Orlando for doing something very much like this, with a discrepancy in what he and the bigwigs thought they had agreed upon as permissible. So if this is kosher, might be a good idea to have that in writing.

 

[RickStain]

If you're being paid by someone you write about, and you think it's ethical, OK, let's test that theory: Tell your readers what you've done.

Describe it honestly to the readers: "... something more lengthy and in depth for them...a vanity piece, if you will."

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the business for 30 years, or for a week. This is called selling out.

Would you have the balls to tell the readers about it?

Seriously, what would you expect to hear: Um, I'm a policeman, posting on a police officer's bulletin board, and I'm planning to take a bribe, but I'm wondering, what's a fair price? Um, you know, with the economy in the state it's in, you get what you can... Um, it depends on company policy; if the boss says it's OK, to hell with ethics.

The economy is never bad enough to sell out.

I'd be shocked if one out of 10 readers gave a crap.

 

[Precious Roy]

If you're being paid by someone you write about, and you think it's ethical, OK, let's test that theory: Tell your readers what you've done.

Describe it honestly to the readers: "... something more lengthy and in depth for them...a vanity piece, if you will."

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the business for 30 years, or for a week. This is called selling out.

Would you have the balls to tell the readers about it?

Seriously, what would you expect to hear: Um, I'm a policeman, posting on a police officer's bulletin board, and I'm planning to take a bribe, but I'm wondering, what's a fair price? Um, you know, with the economy in the state it's in, you get what you can... Um, it depends on company policy; if the boss says it's OK, to hell with ethics.

The economy is never bad enough to sell out.

I'd be shocked if one out of 10 readers gave a crap.

I'd bet 5 in 10 readers think we do it anyway on the most basic of stories, even if we make huge strides not to.