Working at the Five and Dime
Jim Rainey, ace media reporter, at the L.A. Times hits the nail on the head. Yes, there have never been more writing opportunities for journalists, or would-be journalists, or kind-of journalists. But, as he points out, these opportunities don’t pay the bills. Instead, think ten bucks here; maybe 10 stories/posts for 50 bucks there. It’s the entrepreneurs who are delighting in the mix-and-match, demand-and-supply that internet/database technology now allows. Meanwhile, writing is a semi-commodity. Count up the tens of thousands of writers signed up with Demand Media, Helium, Associated Content, Examiner and their brethren, and you say that all those newspaper jobs aren’t gone, they’ve just morphed. Big issue: few can make an actual living in the new environment, at least, yet.