New York Times Writers Unhappy About Reuse of Work Without Payment

Posted on July 10, 2006

The New York Times is about to publish its Practical Guide to Practically Everything (St. Martins Press), which will include work by 270 Times writers and freelancers. But the writers are unhappy that they aren't getting paid anything extra for the reprinting of their work in a new format.

[T]he extensive use of Times material from so many writers has drawn at least some grumblings among staffers. In addition to not being paid for their work to be re-used, some are miffed that they are not even being told what material from their past is included. Although each item, from single-paragraphs to lengthy article reprints, is fully credited, none of the items are indexed by author. "Due to the sheer number of entries, we cannot write each one of you and tell you exactly what yours is," Ward wrote contributors in an e-mail last month. "Secondly, with very few exceptions, there is no payment. (A handful of writers whose entries formed a significant part of a particular section will be notified separately and receive an honorarium.)"

Anthony Napoli, a representative of the Newspaper Guild of New York, which represents Times staffers, said the paper is not legally obligated to pay for the use of material that has already appeared in print. "If they are doing it as a regular employee, it belongs to the New York Times," he said about such material. "The content belongs to them."

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Columnist Nicholas Kristof, whose opinions on hybrid cars from a previous column span several pages in the guide, said the book is the latest in a growing move to make more money from the paper's work. "There is certainly more of an effort to use the brand and find ways of taking control and making money off of it more systematically," said Kristof. "It is nice if they can include some benefit to the writers."

Clearly, the Times contract allowed for the re-use of the material without extra compensation, since no one is threatening to sue. There's only been some grumbling. But remember writers, if it's not in the contract, you're not going to get paid a dime extra -- even if you're a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.

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