I’ve made some money as a writer:
Many years ago as a reporter for a progressive weekly newspaper in Vermont.
Then in Los Angeles as a freelance journalist, PR guy and - since the mid 1980s - a union propaganda specialist.
I earn nothing as a blogger and don’t expect to.
I’ve never submitted anything to the Huffington Post because no one asked.
And since I have little at stake, I have no problem joining the recently-announced HuffPo strike (please don't over-interpret this).
Push-back against Arianna was inevitable when she pocketed $315 million in the AOL deal. Already wealthy, her main interest is in being a player and the money adds to her access and influence. There are lots of mega-buck leftists in America.
Through I shrugged off the “Arianna as oligarch” theme, I’m very sympathetic to writers - especially young ones - who put in a lot of time researching, investigating, interviewing and reporting without pay.
I don’t know how much real effort the Newspaper Guild is going to devote to this campaign. But it would be great if some inroads are made to compensate conscientious writers - whatever their slant - who deserve more than a byline for their hard work.
One question:
Is reading the the Huffington Post during the strike equivalent to crossing a picket line?