Rights demands going up
While rates have dropped, rights demands from publishers have gone way up. Today, a major newspaper chain is demanding that freelancers give them the worldwide right to publish the writer’s work “in all media now known or hereafter devised”. They demand virtually all print, digital and broadcast rights, all for the paltry sum of a few pennies per word.
Most large publishers use similar contracts. From Rogers, Torstar, and Quebecor, to Canwest, Transcontinental and CTVglobemedia; they demand their contract workers sign over virtually all rights to the work they produce.
Media companies are repackaging, reselling, and repurposing the “content” produced by independent media workers. They are finding new ways to profit from the work we produce, and are ensuring that all the money stays in their pockets.