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End of the Love Affair with the “Journalism” of Exploitation?
Oh, the squealing!
People, we are told, must stop re-publishing Sunday Times pieces, for free, because it is bad for journalism.
Which begs the question. Or perhaps muddies it. Because this argument has two quite distinct aspects. Do we mean this is bad for individual journalists? Or bad for a particular model of journalism?
Socialist solidarity: slogan of convenience
On the first count, I am instinctively sympathetic. Creatives have a hard enough time making a living: so devaluing a fellow worker’s work always feels a tad shitty. Albeit, I do find it strange that people content to write for some of the most right-wing outlets, subtly promoting right-wing politics should play the” fruits of my labour” card.
Much sympathy, too, to the authors of the piece in question, a gutting of the government’s approach to the coronavirus crisis, which is both excellent and evidence of what can be done when real journalists get their teeth into a topic.
Yet I am unconvinced by suggestions that we are taking food from out the mouths of their babes: suspect the “pity me!” argument is deployed here because it is increasingly difficult to defend the model of journalism sat…
