“I would like to think that if a news organization pays someone for an interview, that there could be a way that I could know that and I could weigh that as a listener or a viewer so that might affect the way I process the information.”, Adina Solomon is an Atlanta-based freelance journalist who writes about business, culture, food, city design, and everything in between. “I didn’t expect to be paid,” said Kane, now a freelance journalist in New York City. People who tune into radio and TV news often witness journalists appearing as invited guests, talking about their work or weighing in on current events. If it’s a live studio interview for a news programme, you will be expected to be there early for hair and make-up and for a briefing. In other interviews last week, the licensing distinction was glossed over — and even laughed at — by current and former network employees and executives, some of whom said the practice was at best a questionable breach of ethics. When a media outlet pays for an interview, they really pay for a journalist’s reporting, said Anna-Catherine Brigida, a freelance journalist in El Salvador who received $250 for a radio interview with PRI in 2017 when she was based in Guatemala. Paying for interviews is a decades-long practice. The group suggested that the trend could be reversed if networks would agree to pay license fees only to people not involved in the story, like eyewitnesses who happen to record a news event. “Typically, the reason journalists have been averse to what we used to call ‘checkbook journalism’ is that if you pay somebody for his or her story, it feels like maybe that person is going want to enhance the story a little bit,” said Scott Libin, senior fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism. But not if they are promoting something. There are editorial concerns that paying on-screen contributors gives a reason for people to embellish experiences for media attention. Whether journalists should be paid for interviews depends on the case, said Libin, who led the committee that wrote the Radio Television Digital News Association’s current code of ethics. In fact, I made more than $10,000 in my first three months with this niche business. As, 1. About five years ago, Alex Kane wrote about efforts to prevent the U.S. from joining the United Nations’ treaty for people with disabilities. If you there to talk about a business, a book, a productor it’s a celebrity promoting a new film then it is presumed that the exposure is payment enough. “I was kind of working as a freelance consultant on Yemen.”. With his son Sean, David Goldman boarded a private jet paid for by NBC in 2009. “We don’t pay for stories or interviews regardless of who is the source,” a spokesperson for CBC English Services said. “If you’re in the business of having to pay people to get a story, it can’t be worth it,” he said. If it’s a pre-recorded interview on location, it will take several takes and cover all angles so the producer can go back with everything covered! “I was surprised, and frankly didn’t ask questions.”. Since then, Pskowski asks for compensation. But not if they are promoting something. “It can be a blurry line,” Libin said. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. But when I’ve done an interview to talk about the release of a book I would not be. NBC also devoted prime-time attention to Mr. Goldman’s case. And in the process, you’ll meet interesting people, make powerful contacts in various industries, and, most important, be doing “work” that is fun and easy. These cookies do not store any personal information. Asked about the payment, Mr. Goldston said, “I think it remains on hold”; an ABC News spokesman followed up Sunday and said no money had been handed over. The Channel 4 Producer’s guidelines state: “It is perfectly acceptable to pay a fee to an expert or to pay a modest sum to an interviewee who has given up their time to be filmed.”. Outlets sometimes pay journalists, usually freelance, for making an appearance to talk about on-the-ground reporting in places without a staff reporter. PRI told me they would send a statement, but never did.). This website uses cookies to improve your experience. But this doesn’t always mean that TV guests get paid. “It’s a little more indirect in the case of a newspaper or magazine article where the journalist may interview or have a conversation with many different sources.”. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Some large media outlets pay for these appearances, usually ranging from $50 to $150. Did you know that you can get paid for asking questions? Media such as newspapers, magazines, and online written stories don’t pay journalists. “Transparency goes a long way in minimizing any harm that might be done,” Libin said. (I didn’t get any response from NPR or Al Jazeera English. She said payment makes sense for breaking news interviews since the outlet relies on a freelancer’s original reporting rather than sending a staff reporter to the scene. You want facts. It’s a Lack of Community. See our courses. ), “It’s a different format of us relaying our reporting,” Brigida said. You don’t want somebody who is trying to sweeten the substance or content of what you may offer to make it worth paying for.”, In the absence of publicly available standards, journalists still come to similar conclusions about when it’s acceptable to receive payment for broadcast appearances. Disputing that, Mr. Goldston said that the licensing was “happening less, and for smaller amounts of money.”. Often they won’t let you have a book in front of you on the table for example because it can be considered to be product placement. Author of [book title] etc. “It’s been like this for years, this hyper-competition,” said one participant in the morning show wars, who asked not to be identified out of concern that commenting openly might jeopardize his job. Despite the fact that the TV industry has shown it has large budgets for presenters, production budgets are tighter than ever with the competition of so many digital platforms. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The economic tradeoff rarely makes sense, Mr. Westin said, in a time of budget and staff cuts at network news divisions. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Once an interview is secured, a network like ABC can spread it around widely; in one prominent case, when Casey Anthony’s daughter, Caylee, went missing three years ago, ABC paid $200,000 for videos of Caylee, which were broadcast on “G.M.A.,” “World News,” “Nightline” and the prime time newsmagazine “20/20.” The licensing fee found its way to the defense fund for Ms. Anthony, who stands accused of killing Caylee. However Ofcom guidelines state exceptions: Journalists or commentators, whose job it is to share knowledge will be paid. “The real issue is: by paying for interviews, are you changing the news?” said David Westin, who was the president of ABC News until last winter, when many licensing deals were done. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. ABC declared that it had not paid any fee for the interview, but last year, according to a longtime ABC News executive aware of the deal, the network paid a six-figure sum for rights to home movies of Ms. Dugard. The close-lipped nature of this practice also ensures that standards are difficult to ascertain. The public has no clue who is remunerated to talk about the news, but they should. There’s no budget (almost always the case in radio). Mr. Goldman’s network of choice for interviews was NBC, and he mentioned being “grateful” for their support. This is a business relationship, so I think that there should be a small payment, especially if you’re giving your expert opinion.”. In the United States, magazines like Us Weekly pay for wedding and baby photographs of celebrities and are often granted interviews at the same time, and tabloid shows like “TMZ” and “The Insider” pay for stories and interviews. Martha Pskowski, a freelance journalist in Mexico City, did her first interviews in 2017 after an earthquake in Mexico City. Brigida said it should be standard for TV and radio outlets to pay for interviews as journalists push for fair compensation. Instead of demanding payment or getting pushy with the people who have yet to make a hiring … The networks provide perks besides paychecks, too: When David Goldman, a subject in a custody battle over his son, brought his son back to the United States from Brazil last year, he was provided both a ride on a private jet by NBC and accommodations at Universal Studios, an amusement park partly owned by NBC’s parent company. If payment could be seen as an incentive. “That said, on occasion, we do pay people including journalists, for expert commentary and analysis.”. Youneed to be a fairly well known person before anyone will consider paying you for an interview, and even then most celebrities will do it for the publicity alone. Broadcast, Helen Croydon, Media Training, News, Pitching, PR, TV news, Uncategorized. This is the grey area though, and broadcasters may use this as an excuse not to pay, when in fact it is ok to pay an interviewee for giving up their time. In order to maintain public trust, outlets should be transparent about the role journalists are playing when they make an appearance. Davies, now a podcaster and podcast consultant for DaviesContent in New York City, received $50 to $100 for appearances in the 1980s and 1990s, extending until three years ago. Network representatives say their only payments are licensing fees for photographs and videos, not for interviews. For this story, I spoke with journalists who reported receiving pay from NPR, the BBC, PRI, Al Jazeera English and CBC. In addition to stringing for The New York Times, Kasinof made TV and radio appearances with outlets including the BBC, CBC, NPR and Al Jazeera English TV, typically getting paid $50 to a little more than $100. But paying for interviews goes beyond breaking news. Richard Davies, who worked for 30 years for organizations such as ABC News, said commercial radio outlets, as well as the BBC, often paid him and other expert guests. In the case of the high school student, NBC said, “the video of the moment when she revealed to her class that she was faking was essential to her story,” the “Today” show executive producer Jim Bell said, adding, “The amount was reasonable.”, Similarly, James Goldston, the executive producer of ABC’s morning show, “Good Morning America,” said the fees paid were relatively small and called the licensing “a very small part of the work that we do.”. Journalism’s Biggest Problem isn’t a Lack of Money. But many people — sometimes even the journalists themselves — are unaware that these interviews can be compensated. There’s no budget (almost always the case in radio). Guidelines for News Interviews. But if a story reports on a journalist or the journalist is promoting something, don’t pay. Join our next Broadcast Briefing for PRs. Criminals or those involved in serious anti-social behaviour whether convicted or confessed, for interviews about their crimes or behaviour; Any witness or any person likely to be a witness in criminal proceedings; Children under 16 or a vulnerable person (i.e. ABC said its extensive reporting, including the interview, led to Mr. Weiner’s admissions about his online behavior. “Another part of that conversation would have to be a recognition from the public of the fact that a lot of freelancers are probably making less than minimum wage or are living below the poverty line,” she said. Professor at [your university]. “What you say is part of their product. She would sometimes spend three hours a day on media appearances. When contacted, no outlet agreed to an interview, though the BBC and CBC provided email statements. Also last week, ABC announced that Diane Sawyer had secured the first-ever interview with Jaycee Lee Dugard, the young woman held captive for 18 years in California. Learn how TV and radio news decide their stories, how to tailor your story pitches for TV and radio and how to build contacts with planners and producers.
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