Linked: “In America, only the rich can afford to write about poverty”

via The Guardian:

True, the internet filled with a multiplicity of new outlets to write for, but paying writers or other “content providers” turned out not to be part of their business plan. I saw my own fees at one major news outlet drop to one third of their value between 2004 and 2009. I heard from younger journalists who were scrambling for adjunct jobs or doing piecework in “corporate communications.” But I determined to carry on writing about poverty and inequality even if I had to finance my efforts entirely on my own. And I felt noble for doing so.

Who is to blame? The media corporations that owe their stockholders a positive balance sheet or the people around the globe who thought news should be free?

I criticize lazy journalism and invasive advertisements and ‘listicles’ on this blog nearly every month but I also pay for my content and don’t block ads on websites that respect my privacy yet choose not to charge for their content.