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Apr

5

NYT scapegoats blogging as a deadly profession, literally


Tomorrow’s edition of the New York Times includes this article, “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop.”  But somehow, without even reading the article, I feel safe in guessing that more people have died working for newspapers than have or will die blogging.  After all, Technorati says they track at least 110 million blogs.  Just proportionately speaking, there have got to be more deaths due to the MSM’s work conditions.

Of course, once you read the article, you will see that blogging has been scapegoated as emblematic of how working at home – in any venture – can be a risk to your health. But of course, the article and the headline don’t lead with that premise.

From the story:

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

Okay – so why is the NYT nailing this issue to blogs? Why not to the demands of the corporate owners of the larger outfits that are able to pay and are angry about the diminishing returns they’re getting from traditional media and are taking advantage of people who either got cut from their traditional media job or are of a different generation who think that such work as is being offered on the Internet is a place to start and might some day be worth it?

Why not nail this issue to some other profession from which people die due to “great physical and emotional stress created by round-the-clock” demands?  Like the legal profession, for one.  Or day-traders. I’m sure there are others.

That people make such choices about work and life is another issue, but the NYT article doesn’t go there, no surprise.

And also notice that the article doesn’t mention or interview any of their bloggers – to find out what conditions and expectations are like for them.

Folks,  blogs don’t kill people.  People kill people. And the people making the choices that lead to these kinds of lifestyles can be found working any kind of job. Not just blogging.

Duh.

PS Anyone else wonder why the NYT doesn’t ever name any of the bloggers whom they allege are making the big bucks?

Bloggers at some of the bigger sites say most writers earn about $30,000 a year starting out, and some can make as much as $70,000. A tireless few bloggers reach six figures, and some entrepreneurs in the field have built mini-empires on the Web that are generating hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. Others who are trying to turn blogging into a career say they can end up with just $1,000 a month.

Who who who? Where where where?

Hattip to Elisa at Worker Bees Blog.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:06 pm April 5th, 2008 in Blogging, Business, Culture, Economy, Marketing, Media, Tech, Writing 

Comments

4 Responses to “NYT scapegoats blogging as a deadly profession, literally”

  1. 1 Ben Keeler on April 6th, 2008 1:12 am

    There are times where I feel like I will die out of stress….but I never do.

  2. 2 Jill Miller Zimon on April 6th, 2008 9:17 am

    Seriously, do you think the stress is brought on by blogging, or by your expectations for yourself and those that you feel others have for you?

    You do not have to answer that question. ;)

    Beyond, I’ll keep my inner-mom in check, for now. :)

  3. 3 Carole Cohen on April 6th, 2008 11:06 am

    A friend sent me the NYTs article last night. Blogging would be like anything else someone obsesses over to the point of not sleeping or eating right or exercising..I guess the only news here is that it DOES get added to the list. If you are a reporter, doctor, lawyer, whatever, (and now blogger too) and you run yourself down and have a known or unknown medical issue then it can happen.

    One point that struck me as I read it last night was the immediacy of ‘news’ on line and how much more available information is and does that make bloggers extra obsessive and unable to sleep?

    I would say, this man died AND he was a blogger, not this man died because he was a blogger.

  4. 4 Ben Keeler on April 6th, 2008 2:21 pm

    A combination, but the expectations of others.

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