Oh woe journalism rates this Christmas (and every single day of the year)
I wanted to hone in on an important point made in a recent Instagram post by sustainability writer Juliet Kinsman which resonated with every single journalist reading it. Titled ‘Journalism is really, really badly paid. It’s important to know that', it goes on to detail how underpaid the sector is, how she's paid less for articles than she was 20 years ago, and how we need to value writers and pay them properly.
The post struck a chord with every single writer reading it – and, of course, other creatives. One prominent former columnist said, ‘THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I am broke and having to sell my house.” Ana Santi, my friend and former colleague, commented: “I think people forget that journalism is uncovering new things, it’s holding people to account, it’s finding the truth. It’s not aggregating existing information and forming readable sentences. It takes TIME. And effort. And passion. And worth so much more than pennies per word.”
I’ve written about the paltry rates in journalism before but have had a surge in subscribers since then and it’s an ongoing issue that’s worth talking about again and again. I received a quote from builder recently and I noticed his day rate had gone up about 25% since he last quoted two years ago. I probed him on it and he said it was down to materials etc going up (although there was barely any materials being used). But I thought, I just couldn’t ever imagine the same thing happening in journalism. Saying that, perhaps I should be grateful for the recent several pound rise at one title. But the reality means rates are falling in real times. Across some publishers, we’re paid £150 for crafting 1000 words. Day rates are also paltry. While inflation has rocketed, somehow journalism rates continue to freefall. And I know this doesn’t just impact journalists; I know many other creatives are feeling this pain too.
I don’t know why but many people think journalism is much higher paid that it is. Maybe they’ve recall Boris Johnson’s salary at the Telegraph and think we’re all raking it in. Maybe they see the press trips and the parties (for some) and see that as a successful lavish life. But what they don’t see is people talk about struggling to pay their bills.
While I don’t wish to be a pessimist, I don’t see things radically shifting. Instead, freelance budgets are being culled, rates are falling, and opportunities disappearing. I’ve said before, but about five years ago I was finding it somewhat difficult. My life didn’t go from rags-to-riches exactly, but I’m incredibly grateful for the Guardian coming to me with the Masterclass tutor opportunity which led to me to start my own sessions, private workshops, webinars, courses, consultancy and content network. It doesn’t mean I’m wealthy and I still worry about money, but not at the level I did before. Otherwise I’m really not sure what I would have done if it hadn’t come along as I’m certainly not ready to leave journalism and there’s no other huge career desire kicking about.
I do sometimes wonder what I will do in the future, which is quite tough for someone who lives for the moment and doesn’t plan much ahead. I’m fortunate I rent out my place when I’m not there, which helps pay for the experiences which I spend my money on and my rent in Amsterdam, and while a much-desired radio career has opened up for me this year, the amount of time and energy that goes it into that (and train fares and hotels which means if I’m doing shifts I hardly come out with anything but experience), at least this investment is propped up my workshops and consultancy work.
And let’s not forget the time that it takes to work on journalism. Good quality journalism takes time and the value is not reflected in the money we receive. It’s incredibly sad and I don’t know what the answer is. All I can say – and I know many of you do - is invest in journalism this Christmas and beyond. Subscribe to a newspaper. Gift a magazine subscription this Christmas. And don’t ask people to work for free. Support journalism because I keep seeing more and more leave to move into more lucrative careers. I don’t blame them, but it’s journalism’s loss.