Pay The Writer? Not With This Technology!

The clip above of sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison getting all worked up at the concept of a writer working free of charge — “By what right would you call me and ask me to work for nothing? Do you get a paycheck? Does your boss get a paycheck? Do you pay the teamsters?!” — remains one of our favorite examples of righteous rage on the Internet. While it’s understandable that there are less and less jobs available for college graduates to get their foot in the door with a job in journalism, the spike in the number of writers willing to work for absolutely nothing in the last two years is not only insulting, it’s dangerous.

To extend Ellison’s analogy: would you hire someone to rewire your apartment by offering them “opportunities for growth?” What about putting fillings in your cavities “for college credit?” While we sit back and complain about...