Read on Twitter
My boyfriend calculated how much I made per day for a big investigative piece I have coming out and, conservatively, it& #39;s $6.95 a day. We& #39;re not through the fact check or copy edit. @savethenews @ffregister @studyhallxyz @abbyhiggins @sallyhayd @NehaWadekar @ATDLive @JacobKushner
That $6.95/day is the day rate since I signed the contract with the outlet, I spent a number of months before that applying for grants to do the reporting.
And also yes, I agreed to the rate, and yes obviously I have been doing lots of other freelance work but that doesn& #39;t make it any less stressful or shitty.
The reason people do this is because there& #39;s no other immediate option so you kind of just keep grinding as opposed to doing some strategic pivot, because they care about the stories, because the entire system if stupid + fat white men run the world so why does anyone do anything
The way people do this, barring some sort of trust fund or whatever super rich people have, is a mixture of privilege and shameless scrappiness: I have family who don& #39;t need my financial help and with a house outside a large global metropolis, I have friends with extra bedrooms
I am white and well educated so people give me the benefit of the doubt. I have an American passport and that (used to at least) mean I have a government that has my back if I am in a serious jam abroad, and I have an easy entry back to a safe country.
Because of my privilege and because I do hustle and have carved out a bit of a niche, I can pay to live my day-to-day life comfortably enough. I make a lifestyle not a living and that& #39;s a choice.
So all this to say, it& #39;s fine but you should know where your news comes from.
I will close this thread with a picture of my dog Scout, who went boating this weekend.
