Ethics Problems at Alternet

For more than a decade, I have been one of Alternet's syndicated writers....By violating these ethical standards, Alternet has abused the trust of readers, writers, funders, client newspapers and the public at large...

-- The collection of what Alternet calls "bounty" fees for each story it sells on drug policy issues.

-- Alternet's refusal, when asked, to disclose the nature of those reprint fees.

-- Alternet's hiding the existence of those "bounty" fees from the writers of those articles, when Alternet claims to pay the writers 50 percent of all reprint fees.

-- Alternet's consequent non-payment of funds that, according to its own website, rightfully belong to the writers.

-- Alternet's blacklisting of writers (similar to the NY Times blacklist banning work by leaders of the National Writers Union), including when Hazen fantasizes, inaccurately, that a writer has been the source of information leading to a legitimate labor complaint by another writer.

-- Alternet's cavalier theft, on two occasions, of stories from our own publication, and Alternet's dishonesty in having later claimed that it did not offer one of those stories for sale, when, in fact, it did...


http://www.narconews.com/hazenstory1.html

Alternet has become a libertarian cesspool anyway.

who recognize 'nn' and 'an', but don't really know the players. I am interested in reading, but please I need something to help me delve in so I can understand more and save time? Thanks if you can provide it.

I think it's important to learn about and rate the source of everything alternative. Alternative sourcing and news is where it's at for everyone who lives in this country since corporate media here is probably worse than the medias was in the USSR, but maybe we're more entertaining than they were for wal and deflection purposes?

It focuses on news r/t latin america & drugs.

AN = Alternet, largest syndicator of "alternative" news & views content. "Syndicate" = they supposedly buy content from the writers/publishers then make money by reselling it.

Funded by the Tides Foundation, among others. Run by Don Hazen, former publisher mother jones & general "lefty" bigwig.

This is a Freepers wet dream.

I don't know what's going on, but one one-sided post isn't enough for me to form any opinions...

they issue corrections and apologies.

I have never been enthusiastic about Alternet's charging of a usurious 50 percent fee for the articles it resells. But until now, Alternet has been the only game in town. It has had near monopoly status as a syndication agency for a particular niche of "alternative" news. But, as with other monopolies, Alternet has grown fat in abusing its position in a manner that now causes more harm than good.

That monopoly status is about to end with the launch of a competing alternative news syndication service, also based in San Francisco, titled Pulp Syndicate, which will charge 33 percent of the writer's fee instead of the outrageous 50 percent taken by Alternet. Pulp Syndicate plans to launch later this Spring, but Narco News has obtained the URL for Pulp's draft web page as it prepares its inauguration, which, of course, we share with our readers. Additionally, here is the prototype page revealing the real meat for writers, explaining details about how Pulp will syndicate.


50% is a 50-50 split between writer and distributor. I don't think that's so terrible, but this is basically a statement of preference for a competitor, not an actual issue. Good luck to them both.

becoming clear. And some (lots?) of the peeps who write this stuff, and presumeably get paid to do so, are posters here. Explains much, thanks.

There was no profit to the DU-er. His permission wasn't given or even asked.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6197724&mesg_id=6197724

:popcorn: