Home

About Homedaddy

Archives

Subscribe

Tell A Newspaper

Contact

Music

Publisher's Area

Lost In The Sauce

Greetings all.

I did file a column on Weds night, but have now discovered that, due to some glitch or other, it did not go through. Of course, I was working on a friend's machine, using a web-based mail application to access my mail account, and the upshot is that no one got it, and the entire thing is lost. I did not save a copy anywhere. We were on the road, it was late, I just crossed my fingers and sent it off. I thought I was playing it safe by also mailing it to myself, but no dice.

No great loss though. It was an unusual column anyhow. The bulk of the content was devoted to the news that the folks at the Salinas Californian, in response to heavy pressure from the parent company Gannett (the nation's largest newspaper chain), informed me that, not only did they not run last week's column, but that they won't run it at all until I sign their new freelance agreement.

This agreement is totally unacceptable, since it gives Gannett complete and total ownership in the form of all copyrights, to everything I might write for them. Yes, this is as big a rip-off as it sounds. I have a lot of effort and hope invested in re-selling these pieces.

In exchange for changing their part of the take from one-time, non-exclusive rights to total ownership forever, they agree to pay me ZERO additional dollars.

Even though I write my column with or without them, and they simply pick it up from me, as do other outlets, they insist on calling this "work-for-hire."

The Writer's Union is embroiled in several sticky battles over this situation, which remains unresolved. In addition to my own common sense, they are urging all members to not sign such a contract, as it represents a monumental turn for the worse in the history of journalism and periodical writing.

Suffice to say, I am thoroughly disappointed and disgusted.

I went through the same thing at the San Jose Mercury, a Knight Ridder paper, and decided to sign it, being influenced by these factors: they run only one out of four, so they don't get all of them; they grant me back rights to continue to sell them; and they run it on a Saturday which gives me the potential for a half a million imprints. I still don't like it.

The Californian, on the other hand, is strictly a cow-town rag. I cannot see giving up the copyrights just to appear there. My apologies to all Salinas-Monterey readers. I encourage you to contact the Californian and express yourselves. Don't let them tell you that I am on a break, a leave, or anything else besides the contract issue.

Meanwhile I did get Email from Dr. Laura Schlessinger's website. They want Homedaddy. Dr. Laura, for pete's sake! She is a beast. She is shrill, venemous, and dangerously jugemental. She makes me want to puke.

I wonder how much she pays. Business is business, right?

And incidentally, the Mystery Stroller was recovered through the heroics of one Ian Blair, who hauled himself out of bed in the pre-dawn Long Island haze to make the 5-hour round trip drive and get it back to us by breakfast time.

I'll still be writing Homedaddy each week, regardless of how this mess with the Californian shakes out (it already looks pretty clear thqat it is a take-it-or-leave-it deal). In the meantime, thanks to everyone for your support.

send this column to a friend!
have a comment about this column?

© Todd Pinsky 1998-2002. All rights reserved.