Study Hall Digest 7/15/2019

By Study Hall staff writer Allegra Hobbs (@allegraehobbs)

Protect your IP (especially from Bustle)! Writer and podcast host Alicia Kennedy tweeted out an alarming clause in a Bustle Media Group contract that requires the freelancer “irrevocably” give up the rights to their content and related IP 100% to Bustle. As we have reported, publications are getting greedier with IP rights now that they’ve discovered it’s a reliable way to make money. Fortunately freelancers have caught on, and are declining to sign exploitative contracts.

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The wildly disparate reactions to a thread of “crushing” feedback from editors reveals a lot about the anxious state of the media industry, IMO. In case you missed it, writer AND EDITOR Tess Koman kicked off what seemed to be a fairly innocent and cathartic bitch fest with this: “name a more crushing blow than “this is a great start!” from your editor, i’ll wait.” What followed was a long, varied stream of responses from anxious writers sharing the notes that had made them want to crawl under a rock, some clearly tongue-in-cheek, some serious (and actually harsh), and a lot in the half-joking in-between space.

I felt it was clear the initial tweet was hyperbolic and good-humored — I don’t really believe anyone finds “this is a great start!” to be “crushing” feedback — and that the responses were about sharing in the anxiety and self-doubt inherent in the editing process rather than criticizing editors. The thread was really popular, drawing participation from successful writers and editors alike, all of whom I’m sure understand that shitty first drafts are part of the process and can take tough edits in stride. But some felt the thread was hyper-sensitive whining from giant babies who can’t take criticism, with one Variety staffer telling the whiners to “Grow up!”

The people I noticed responding in this way are staffers at big magazines — which is to say, when they get rough edits back on a story they at least have some sense of security and affirmation that comes with having a staff job at a big magazine, they have an established relationship to the editor, and they know they’ll get paid regardless of whether the story gets killed or how long the edits take. When freelancers get edits back on a story, there are layers of anxiety at play — it’s anxiety-inducing to have your work picked apart, sure, but underneath that professional anxiety is the knowledge that if you don’t turn the ship around to the editor’s satisfaction, the story could get tossed and you could end up with just 25 percent (the standard kill fee) of the agreed-upon rate. This has never not been in the back of my mind when working through edits as a freelancer.

This is all, of course, in addition to the pre-existing anxiety inherent in the job, where the work can be personal in nature and the worker is a de-facto public figure, as on social media. Much has been written on the negative mental health effects the job has on journalists, which is compounded by covering traumatic events and the presence of online trolls.

So, sure, writers are absolutely big babies who can be over-dramatic about their work. But shrinking budgets and mass layoffs — meaning there are fewer editors to match the growing masses of freelancers — have created an omnipresent sense of precarity and accompanying financial anxiety. It also means there are more workers toiling in relative isolation, experiencing these waves of anxiety alone. One solution to that is, say, online communities for media workers (subscribe to Study Hall). Another is Twitter, which has long operated as a water cooler and break room for media workers. Speaking personally, it can be a huge relief to realize your colleagues are getting similar feedback and are experiencing the same heightened anxiety — it doesn’t guarantee you a paycheck or an unbruised ego, but it makes laboring in this dumb industry a lot more bearable.

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Speaking of the importance of good editors…how did that bizarrely bad Dale Peck essay on Mayor Pete at The New Republic piece make it to publication? The piece, which called Buttigieg “the gay equivalent of Uncle Tom,” speculated about his sex life and posited that due to his repressed youth he’d be too preoccupied living out some sex-filled coming-of-age bender to be president, was largely decried as homophobic. It was also just really bad writing, as is best exemplified by the extremely long and rambling opening anecdote that takes so long to get to any coherent “point” I felt like I was losing my mind.

The swift backlash led to a swift response. Editor Chris Lehmann on Friday said the piece was “largely intended as satire” (???) but recognized it “crossed a line,” and the piece was pretty quickly taken down. TNR owner and editor-in-chief Win McCormack apologized for the piece in his own statement the next day.

TNR had been slated to co-host a forum on climate change with Gizmodo, but withdrew its participation after the League of Conservation Voters cut ties with the event over the piece — a decision Gizmodo applauded. Anyway, Dale Peck is a shock jock whose whole thing is slinging controversial hot takes, so Dale Peck was just doing what Dale Peck does. The question is, how did the essay make it through the editorial process intact? Did anyone raise any concerns along the way?

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At Longreads, Soraya Roberts wrote about “vomit culture,” the insatiable desire for nostalgia that keeps Netflix and co. “upchucking the past to sate our basest nostalgic instincts” (hence the nostalgia-soaked appeal of Stranger Things and the never-ending Disney reboots): “Part of it is the pull of nostalgia, which in these end days is so welcome we don’t care if we’re being sold out as long as our longing for the innocence of youth is appeased…Everyone kind of knows that this blinder nostalgia is a distraction, but it staves off loneliness and anxiety and what’s wrong with using it to form a comforting sense of community even if it’s only digital?”

Meanwhile, Netflix and its viewers are grappling with the service giving up both Friends and The Office, two huge nostalgia boosters. Both shows, according to Nielson ratings, made up the vast majority of viewers’ streaming time, which is probably why Netflix has shelled out hundreds of millions to keep the beloved sitcoms on the platform. Vulture ventures that Netflix will be just fine, now having that boatload of money freed up for new deals or new content altogether, but it can’t be overstated how massive the demand is for the shows we watched in middle school and how large a vacuum Netflix will have to fill. I suspect Roberts is right, that viewers are largely using streaming services (like TV before it) to stave off loneliness, seeking something comforting or distracting — and that core desire is ultimately what will drive the decision-making of streaming giants.

Longread of the Week: Gizmodo, as part of a series on free speech online, did a deep-dive on the tech companies that host hateful (white supremacist) content. GoDaddy and its subsidiary Wild West Domains is host to the majority of sites Gizmodo identified as spreading hateful messaging, and the company defended its hosting of the sites by saying it deplores the content but supports free speech.

EVERYTHING ELSE

— Katia Bachko, formerly a senior editor at Harper’s, has been brought onto The Cut on contract editing features and essays. (The Cut also just hired Bridget Read from Vogue.) And she’s encouraging pitches, so have at it! [email protected].

— Team Trace reporter Alex Yablon spoke out as the fact-checker who killed a fluffy, uncritical New York Magazine piece on Jeffrey Epstein by Michael Wolff. “Wolff let Epstein dictate the the piece,” wrote Yablon. “He made some agreement that all fact questions would go through Epstein and only Epstein. In the piece, Wolff reported various powerful men still hung out with Epstein – but gave me no proof. I was not allowed to call them for comment.” (Remember, Wolff asserted it wasn’t necessary to reach out to either Trump or Fox News for comment while reporting out his book Fire and Fury. So basically the guy is great at his job, is what I’m saying.)

— Mississippi politician Robert Foster denied access to reporter Larrison Campbell for a requested ride-along because she’s a woman and he’s a married man, and you know what happens when men and women are alone together! Actually…what happens, exactly?? Foster himself seemed unsure when drilled on CNN about the matter, just regurgitating the same lines about loyalty to his wife and their marriage and his Christian values. Billy Graham famously lived by a similar rule, which is also shared by notable Christian man Mike Pence. I was raised Evangelical, so I get it: The idea is women lead men to sin, even when they’re minding their own business or simply trying to do their jobs. Unfortunately this casual misogyny has a real impact on what opportunities are afforded to women reporters.

— Sarah Kobos, senior photo editor at Wirecutter, quote-tweeted Chelsea Peretti calling on her brother to recognize the BuzzFeed Union. Jonah Peretti, who still has not recognized the union over 150 days into its organizing, took time out of his busy schedule to DM Kobos and accuse her of “calling out” his sister for his actions. How about you log off and meet with union members, bud! Also truly lmao at the boldness of DMing a journalist thinking they won’t screenshot and share with the world.

— The line between editorial and sponsored content grows thinner and harder to define each day. A People writer reviewed Kylie Jenner’s skincare line, concluded it was worth ditching all her old products for, and at the top noted that if readers click through the links to purchase the products, People may get a commission. Affiliate marketing is one thing, but what if it motivates such extreme enthusiasm, whether the subject merits it or not?

— The summer of scam lives on! Remember Twitter grifter Shane Morris, author of that fake viral thread about his brush with MS-13 and his subsequent claims he was in danger of being MURDERED by gang members unless we all sent him money?? I found myself wondering…so was that guy ever murdered? Short answer: No. Longer answer: