Blogging, as we all know, operates on a system of link love, trust and respect for people’s graft. Right?
Well that’s the principle I operate this blog on anyway.
While some of the content I post here, and on my other blogs, is inevitably links to material that others have worked to produce, I do pride myself on creating a certain amount of original content and expect that to be treated in the same way in return.
But sadly, recent experience has shown me that some journalists from commercial publishers don’t play nice, simply taking my content without any acknowledgement of the source – not even a link in payment.
So I’ve decided to spell out my approach and from now on will offer re-production of content published here on the following basis;
- FREE: Websites and blogs are welcome to syndicate my material using the RSS feeds. (Thanks to Journalism.co.uk and HowDo for their continuing interest and support in doing this.)
- FREE: Content can be quoted on any website or blog in return for a link and acknowledgement, as under Creative Commons, attribution licence.
- £50 donation to the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust : Content may be used without attribution. £50 per item. Please do contact me to show proof of donation for which, I thank you!
From now on, failure to treat my original content in this way will result in an invoice for £100 being issued – and followed through.
Dim Sum Digital 
Sarah, a couple of questions on this:
1) Will you be able to enforce this on the publications that you work for? I’ve always found it surprising in the past that certain Scott Trust publications – and certain reporters – haven’t been the quickest in attributing material found elsewhere, or presented to them elsewhere.
2) Given the cuts in journalism funding, do you seriously expect – in an age when most agencies and freelancers struggle to get paid for content used – for papers/press to give your threat any more than a casual shrug, especially when the material is in the public domain?
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Hi Craig, thanks for taking the time to comment. On point 1 – obviously I can’t speak for the whole of the Guardian News Media organisation (and don’t forget this is my personal blog!) but what I can say is that the sites I am responsible for i.e. Edinburgh, Cardiff and Leeds Local blogs, do attribute material elsewhere. If you take a look at any of them, you’ll see that link blogging is a major component. (For other parts of the organisation, there is a clearly stated way to make complaints and a Readers’ Editor to pursue them too.)
2. I wouldn’t see it as a threat as such. My intention was to spell out the conditions on which I’m (un) happy to allow reproduction. As you’ll see, I’m not exactly going to get rich, it’s more a question of fair play. So shrug they may, but at least no-one will be able to claim they didn’t realise the system in operation, as I will in future point it up on stories where I feel it applies. I’ve also updated the ‘about’ page.
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Where do you see print in this? If a print publication sought to use your material, attributed, would the same rules apply as to a blog?
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Hi David, I’m not sure there’s many print outlets who’d be interested in the sort of stuff I do, though if it was MSM I’d expect that they’d know that a fee applies and I’d bill them.
tbh, I haven’t clocked it as a problem but having said that, one of the issues with print is that I’d be less likley to know they’d nicked something……
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