Be aware - articles for YM and PBO

[scarlett]

I accept that I am not professional journalist but feel the treatment of ariticles submitted to these magazine is less than professional.

I sent a time sensitive news article, together with a photo to YM at the end of February. I asked if it wasn't wanted to reject it so that I could send it elsewhere. I heard nothing for a week so sent an email to the editor.

He replied straight away saying he had passed it to another staff member who was sailing but would contact me when he got back.

A third member of staff called me later that week to say 'yes' but he need to check my thoroughly researched facts [the article set out the business practises of one of the magazine major advertisers but the editor said this did not matter]. I sent the names and phone numbers of my contacts and acccepted this.

When I heard nothing by last Monday I rang the third man. He said that is was due to go in May's edition but got 'bumped' and would now be included as a letter in the June edition and I would not be paid.

I withdrew their right to use the information.

This follows an article I sent to PBO for which they sent me the contract. About a year later they used my article as the basis for the editorial and did not pay me.

Another article was accepted by PBO. It was a study of the behaviour of popular anchors in Med. sand and predated the much better article in YW. I included about 20 underwater photographs. A well respected member of staff asked me to rewrite it, making it less scientific and more personal. I did this. It and my photos are still on a desk somewhere.

I fully accept that they have a right to reject without explanation, unsolicited articles. I accept if anyone doesn't want something sent unsolicited they have no need to return it. But I don't think their present style of sitting on time sensitive stuff or using stuff without paying is ethical.

I am realistic. My articles may not be as interesting as I think. I write this as a warning to others that their work may not be respected.

Do I expect too much?

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[Goldie]

I sent an article to PBO (prior to current editor being in post) in which they declared interest, but which required "personalising" and shortening. After a brief correspondence about the way ahead, I too withdrew permission to use and requested return of my photographs. 2 years later, I'm still waiting.... Further correspondence revealed no information as to their whereabouts. I'm not a professional journalist either, but felt that the content was of interest. Shan't bother again!

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[jenku]

This is not at all unusual. I actually am a professional journalist and things like that happen to me all the time. I sent an article to the Swedish equivalent to PBO once, which they in fact had asked me to write. I never got paid and it never got published either.

Treating articles as letters or rewrite them is common pratice, though of course not ethical.

There is not too much that can be done about this. In theory, when an article has been accepted, the magazine has to pay even if it's never published. In reality they almost never do.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.sail.to/alacrity

 

[milltech]

Many years ago, and long before the current MB&Y editor was in place, I saw this terrific new boat in the Solent. I took some roughish pics and wrote to the Editor suggesting an article. This was long before emails and the like. I wrote follow up letters to which I received no reply.

After 12 weeks I received a note thanking me for my suggestion but advising they had already covered it themselves, and that it would come out in a future issue; and it did.

Of course I accepted it was not my suggestion that put them on to it, and of course I accepted without question that the 12 week letter writing delay could have been nothing more than pressure of work. It was I'm certain just one of life's coincidences. It would have been unthinkable to imagine that this much respected journal might have put in-house staff onto the story and simply stalled until the job was done.

I did however have just a momentary suspicion, but no, it could not have been....




<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by milltech on 01/04/2004 18:41 (server time).</FONT></P>