The brand-new Weekly is online, happenin’ and ready for readers! Feel free to comment on its contents here.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2008.
We Endorse This Issue
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The brand-new Weekly is online, happenin’ and ready for readers! Feel free to comment on its contents here.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2008.
Comments are closed.
I have a question…. but first a crazy round of applause.
Yes applause!
Why?
Because I love The Weekly.
It is by far the best alternative journalism in America.
Not just Arizona.
But America.
Please do not blush when I write this for it is true.
I love your coverage of arts and entertainment and food.
The last edition was outstanding.
So many wonderful articles about places to eat and go and see in Tucson.
I for one think the last issue was the best bit of journalism The Weekly has done all year and I look forward to the next one.
The writers and editors should be proud of what they have done.
200 pages and I loved every one!
I tried an In and Out Burger and you are right!
It is the best burger in town!
But now for my question: Why does the publisher in his editorial this week say:
“Why doesn’t the Weekly have an editorial board that meets with all the campaigns and then makes decisions, like the dailies do? Two reasons: 1) time and 2) resources.”
Couldn’t the weekly spend the same amount of time and resources on politics that you do with all the reviews.
Maybe there are some political journalists who want to write more?
I don’t know.
You know better than I how these things run.
But like I said I love The Weekly.
I remember growing up in a small east coast town before moving to Tucson, and every year the local weekly paper (not an alternative paper but a community paper) brought in every single candidate, from dog catcher to governor of the state.
They gladly met with the editors and the journalists late into the night.
Very often the journalist asked the hard questions the big daily papers did not.
And as a result, that paper, which was family owned and run on a shoestring budget, was well respected in the community.
In fact, that issue sold more copies than any other and the editorials often decided the elections.
Any how, I know you guys and gals have a lot to do and are very busy, so I don’t mean to add stress or take up your time.
So keep up the good work and keep on writing!
I love what you do and can’t wait for the next things to do in Tucson issue.
s.j.
I, too, wanted to give compliments to this week’s issue. The only question that lingered on my mind was why Rick Fowlkes wasn’t given any attention for his candidacy for AZ Corporation Commission — arguments either for or against — but that’s just where my politics lie since he’s a “Libertarian Republican” much like Jake Flake or Ron Paul.
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I also wanted to highlight what an excellent job Claire Conrad did with Pick of the Week. I love this lede as it hits an element of sensitivity and background in its intelligent introduction:
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When David Sheff decided to write an article about his son Nic’s addiction to methamphetamines for The New York Times Magazine, he worried about every word.
Even though family members had given Sheff their blessing to write the piece, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to expose them to the scrutiny and shame that can follow an admission of addiction.
“The trepidation was huge,” said Sheff, a freelance journalist and author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. “I kept second-guessing myself.”
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You’ve got a live one on your roster if she keeps up the good work.
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This blog is addictive. Gotta stop posting on it.
Hey
I just read your endorsements. I don’t agree with a lot of them, but I am not surprised nor would I hold any of them against you all.
I am shocked, SHOCKED I TELLS YA, that you guys didn’t mention that name changing weasel “Bob” Stump running for Corporation Commission. That guy schlepped his way into the state legislature by using the name of a beloved Republican (and former Democratic) Congressman who died of cancer in 2003. (Stump was “Chris,” or Biff, or something, until he saw political opportunity.)
Stump is Eddie Murphy in “The Distinguished Gentleman,” just without the character redeeming turn around in the second hour… Calling Stump and “empty suit” would be an insult to men’s clothing.
It is strange that the Tucson Weekly excuses itself of basic journalistic duties by explaining that it lacks time and resources to do things that would enlighten readers.
Meanwhile the blog is full of stuff about dolls, Project Runway, Sarah Silverman and so on. No time for endorsements, but time for analyzing Project Runway contestants?
Anyway, here are some ideas for coverage in Tucson Weekly:
— more stories about the water issues in Pima County.
— more stories about Tucson’s place in the Arizona economy
— more stories about how Tucson’s voters and political landscape differ from the rest of Arizona. What are voting demographics in Tucson and how are they represented in different areas of town?
— more stories about Tucson’s “dead” areas, the neighborhoods and commerce centers that have been neglected or are in limbo.
— more stories about the shadow city of South Tucson and the interaction between it and the rest of Tucson; who goes there, what are the restaurants like, are its crime statistics different? What are the poverty levels in different areas of Tucson and what are the schooling issues?
— more stories about traffic trends since gas prices have risen.
— more stories about the state of affairs in surrounding areas: green valley, bisbee, tombstone, sierra vista, oracle, marana. What are the industries, what are the population patterns? What are the lifestyles for different people in different areas?
— more stories about cutting-edge research being done at U of A. More stories about campus changes and life. (Less bullshit stories about sports teams etc.)
— More stories about border issues. Does a weakened U.S. economy really mean less immigrants? Where are police and border agents at in terms of law enforcement? What improvements have been made over the past few years if any?
— More stories about the things that make Tucson unique, and different from Phoenix or other Southwestern areas. What are people doing that is cutting edge, as opposed to just going through the motions or doing community versions of what everybody else is doing? I will tell you one thing, I am sick of community theater groups doing bullshit plays where they take something like “Old Town” and give it a Latin twist or something. There has got to be more to modern culture than that.
— More stories about the changing ecosystem, or if it is changing.
— More stories about the old-time Tucson icons and what has become of them, and what they think about where the city is going, and where it ought to go. More retrospectives on what makes the city what it is, what it was, what people remember that is worth remembering.
— More comedy and satire about the city. More of a big-picture view, but with intelligence and knowledge. More guest editorials from longtime AZ Star personnel who have long and rich understandings of the minutiae of city life.
— More storytelling, with stories worth telling.
— More cultural exploration: Ethnic, gay, low-class, high-class, bicyclists, bikers (Harley variety), grad students, rednecks, hiking junkies, junkies, drug dealers, military, East Coast transplants, cactus huggers, peyote suckers, cowboys, injuns, landscapers, sex addicts, horticulturist boobs.
— What are the extremes of Tucson? That would be a good cover story. Take a rich person and a poor person and profile them, their educational background, their incomes, their daily lives.
— How about an expose on the coolest back yards of Tucson? The best set of wind chimes and birdbaths and junk. Just a big photo essay. That would be so….. Okay, so it’s a bad idea.
— How about a Tucson Weekly that has a treasure hunt and a centerfold map with clues and you have to go around town to find stuff and the winners get T-shirts and free passes to restaurants or to movies or something?
— How about some ambitious cool new ideas in alternative publishing?
— How about new artists who do cool caricatures of local life, and not just people spinning their wheels like the Red Meat guy?
— How about a survey of Tucson’s bars and the best place to pick up? Also how about an expose of the people who are the easiest to pick up and where they tend to hang out? And their names and phone numbers?
— How about an article about Tucson’s sewage system and where all the poop goes? Chart the poop. Show where the poop starts and where it ends. Where does Tucson poop go? How much poop is it? Is it mostly rust-colored poop, or is it dark poop? Let’s find out about local poop.
— Same with garbage. Where does all the garbage go. And don’t say Club Congress.
— How about a retrospective about Ray Bradbury? He grew up in downtown Tucson. He is still alive but probably not for much longer. He was born in 1920 so he is 88 years old, I think. I bet you could get a smart literary person to talk to Ray Bradbury about Tucson. I bet Ray Bradbury would be willing to talk at length about his memories in town and how they affected all the stories he wrote. When I read “Something Wicked This Way Comes” I always wonder if his memories of childhood and carnivals were based out of Tucson.
— You could devote a whole issue to the spectrum of views about illegal immigration, interviewing all the extremes from Minutemen to Aztlan type people to whatever. Put their photos int he paper and set them next to each other and show all their opinions about the most controversial stuff. Make them answer the hard questions.
— If you are going to have a web site then how about using it for more photos and other in-depth extras on top of what is in the paper?
— If Tucson Weekly does not have time or resources then get volunteers or interns. Do not have sex with them.
Hey, Michael. If you’re interested in pitching any of these stories as a freelancer, e-mail me!
— Michael. If you’re interested in pitching any of these stories as a freelancer, e-mail me!
I have three questions of the editor.
I bet many people in town think it would be fun to write for a cool publication like The Tucson. Weekly. It does seem fun to do.
Question One:
Does the Tucson Weekly first want my ideas or the completed story?
Question Two:
How does one ensure ideas “pitched” are not used by the editor or the publication without payment?
I do not in any way want to make anyone upset but I know a few people who have “pitched” story ideas to publications in Tucson and although rejected by the editor the publication later ran something very similar.
One writer I know actually has an email from an editor telling him to write a story and then that same publication assigned the story to another writer.
Can you imagine?
I thought it sounded very unethical. I asked why that person did not “layer-up” and he said he could not afford to fight the publisher who had significant resources.
Any way my question is: How does The Weekly respect “ideas” freelancers present and make sure they are not “stolen,” borrowed” or in any other way used?
After all, ideas are like gold for freelancers who are pretty much migrant workers (no benefits, low pay, inconsistent work loads).
Question Three:
Also is it also true that some publication pay varying rates to freelancers?
I’ve heard some people get paid more than others for the same number of words at one publication in Tucson.
Most publications in town have set rates for freelancers.
Does The Weekly pay everyone the same and do they pay people more today for a story than they did five years ago or ten years ago?
What is the rate for say 500 words vs. a cover story? A Q and A vs. a restaurant review?
I look forward to learning more and thank you for sharing this information with Tucson’s freelancing community.
I think it would be fun to send you some ideas but I want to make sure I’m protected too before I ride with you guys.
S.J.
1. Ideas are fine; no need for a completed story.
2. You just have to trust that we don’t roll that way, S.J., because we don’t. That’s unethical; you’re right. If you pitch a unique story, we won’t say no to you and then use the idea.
Having said that, if you pitch something that’s not so unique and/or another writer comes up with that on his/her own, then we obviously have the right to run with it. It’s all about being fair.
Keep in mind–we may say no to a pitch precisely because someone else is covering an issue for us. For example, if you pitch an art review, chances are I’ll say no, because Margaret and James already have that stuff pretty much covered.
3. We negotiate our rates with freelancers up front, and don’t pay per-word. Some freelancers do get paid more than others based on experience, etc. And don’t be surprised if I ask for you to write your first piece on spec.
I need to defend “that Red Meat guy” — Red Meat is hilariously irreverent. Shame I didn’t get the t-shirt.
— or another writer comes up with that on his/her own, then we obviously have the right to run with it…
whoa! if you reject a story cuz you know like say it is not right for the weekly or whatnot and then you allow someone else to write it the same exact story… either you lied to the first journalist, which is kinda like unethical, or uh, you stole an idea cuz like you know, you loved the story and you really wanted it and then you gave it to a goombah pizano instead of that other person who you lied to with reasons of rejection.
wow what a corker.
or maybe you were being kind and that was like a white lie the first journalist and you can justify that sort of thing, you know not to hurt someone’s feelings, but you know a lying journalist, even a white lying one is sorta kinda unethical right?
— We negotiate our rates with freelancers up front, and don’t pay per-word. Some freelancers do get paid more than others based on experience, etc. And don’t be surprised if I ask for you to write your first piece on spec.
so what exactly does negotiate mean?
do you offer a lower rate to someone hungry for a clip?
you know the person who is all like oh wow i’m going to get a story in the paper. i’ll do it for free it is so cool.
now as for that whole experience thing like if a lady from the new york times comes to you with an amazinlicious story that wrinkles your socks and makes your strunk and white leap up and dance what is to say that person is less likely to plagarize or make errors that the neophite-lite working for free?
so really why would you pay more for experience?
but okay so lets get back to that whole pay thing:
how much would you pay ms. no-clip vs. ms. whole lotta clips?
brimstonely yours,
sister lucy fur
but okay hold the phone
Shiny Lucy Fur: Um, go back and re-read what I said; your comprehension seems a bit off. And if you don’t like the terms, don’t pitch to us.
From the perspective of both a former TW editor and current freelancer, I can tell you that it makes sense to pay more to writers with a track record because the editor knows exactly how much or how little editing an experienced contributor will require, the contributor has demonstrated his or her skills over the course of several stories, and it’s usual in many different kinds of employment for an entry-level person to come in at a lower rate than longer-term workers. Besides, longtime contributors have proven that they can spell things like “goomba paisano” correctly.
Ay! Who you callin’ “goomba paisano?”
— Besides, longtime contributors have proven that they can spell things like “goomba paisano” correctly.
i stand hummmmiliated.
but back to the point dodged (i think or maybe just missed. i don’t want to point any fingers of blame).
what are the going rates for sub-novices like i?
what is the pay rate for a writing gods like mister reel?
and why all the hush-hush?
i thought journalists were all about being open and transparent.
perhaps i should know too when i read a story which was done by the underpaid subnovie vs. the god.
but then again i’d probably notice because the writing and reporting would be so much weaker in the sub-novice underpaid version.
which makes me think the weekly is using a lot of sub-novices these days…
heheh.. just kidding gang.
you guys rock. i love what you do!
keep up the great work!
SLF: Look at the accomplishments, awards, etc., of Tom Danehy, Margaret Regan, Catherine O’Sullivan, Leo W. Banks, Tim Vanderpool, Tim Hull, Jarret Keene, Gene Armstrong, Stephen Seigel, James Reel, Dave Devine and countless others. And then rethink the “kidding” claim about sub-novices.
Though print isn’t exactly Red Star’s market (Red Star has never pitched to print), a couple of things carry over to Boegle’s:
1) It helps if you do what you do for it’s own sake. What you are doing and whether you do it for it’s own sake, AND whether it is economically sustainable for you, yes, YOU, isn’t the editor’s (or producer’s, in Red Star’s case) problem. That’s just they way it is and to his credit Boegle has been forthright on the print biz and willing to read what you provide.
2) Pitch. Red Star sees a lot of fearfulness and distraction up above in some posts. Pitch or get off the pot?
The Little Red Stars are making their way home now…Red Star can feel them…here they come.
— And then rethink the “kidding” claim about sub-novices.
a thorn for me for having an evil sense of humor.
please accept my sincere apologies.
everyone at the weekly is doing a fantastic job under some very difficult cirmumstances.
hang in there. things will get better.
anyways, did you mention the pay scale yet?
for some reason no one seems to mention it.
or maybe i missed it.
thats where all this started.
sfl
“Pitch or get off the pot” … I like that one. Will share with other freelancers.
— “Pitch or get off the pot”
sounds like you folks are still smokin the pot to my eyes
me?
i like getting paid and knowing if i am getting equal, deserved pay for my work.
gee wizy wilikers, if the weekly values all of the stories enough to publish them but pays some people more becuase that is just how they do it.
well okay i get it.
thats how it is there, but it does not sound fair or ethical to me.
so i’ll pass on giving you guys my photos of john mccain in rollin in the cornville hay with with his little beer queen.
but i’m still not clear why stating how much the weekly pays people is a big secret.
isn’t that the way the pubs do it in the writers market?
hopefully less pay based on color of skin or religon or sex does not come into play.
but i wonder if someone could make that case.
i’m in no way saying it happens at the weekly.
not by a long shot so jimmy b. please do not flip out.
but when arbitrary pay scales are implemented, some serious gray areas do emerge.
is a women paid less than a man because of her sex and then the action is justified under the “qualified or not” kun-un-drum-bo?
it sure is a slippery slope.
so be careful gang.
i really do love your rag.
equal pay and equal rights.
and lay of the pot children, things will seem much clearer.
sfl
As I said before: We negotiate pay per piece. If ya don’t like that, then don’t pitch. If that doesn’t sound fair or ethical, then sorry. Don’t pitch.
“i like getting paid and knowing if i am getting equal, deserved pay for my work.”
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Freelancing is all about knowing what to pitch, where to pitch, building a network and trying to get the best you can for what you yourself are pitching. What the other guy makes is, frankly, not the highest priority. Doing either a niche quality job or a decent quantity job is where it’s at.
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Your best bet with freelancing is to sit down and look at how much the pay is versus how much time you are taking to both write and report. Divide contract article pay by time to get your hourly pay.
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I am trying to remember if Writer’s Market (the book) lists pay per article for magazine entries. IIRC, they do not. In fact, usually the contract pay offer isn’t released until after the query is deemed acceptable. Then it is the writer who can either a) take the offer or b) walk.
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Have you published in a (non-book) print medium before?
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As for pitch or get off the pot, yep: most pitches need to be repitched to multiple magazines before acceptance, so dawdling can hurt you.