By Roberta Beach Jacobson
Somehow we have come to believe more is better, that it's a good thing if a search engine pops up with 27,999 entries on a given subject. Yet it's because of this very "too muchness" that many journalists have found themselves entangled in the Web.
Writers believe they've sold one-time rights to articles, which then are left indefinitely on Websites or in archives - trapped without permission, often times even without their creator's knowledge. In all but a few cases, writers have not been compensated financially for this prolonged use of their work. These days every tiny business, every magazine and newspaper, wants a Website. Editors/Webmasters who would probably hand back the coin to the supermarket cashier who gave them too much change apparently think nothing of decorating their cyberpages with "donated" articles. Our articles!
Copyright is copyright, folks, be it bleached pulp or cyberspace. Cyberspace is just more complex. To me, the Internet is not unlike a train out of control, running away with writers' rights. Because the Web is still in its infancy, these working conditions can be improved. There's a chance to patch things up and head that train in the right direction. Web editors (sometimes also serving as Webmasters) do seem to have a problem on their hands. Practically overnight, they have been expected to become HTML savvy and to produce fully-functioning, competitive sites with plenty of toots and whistles. Often they have little or no staff. They are supposed to intelligently address an international audience, wow them with information and somehow turn a profit at the end. Fill those slots!
To disguise the function of journalists by referring to them as "content providers," "word architects" or mere "slot fillers" is a disservice. With the new titles, it's easy to imagine robots churning out piece after piece. Instead of sitting in first class, "content providers" end up chasing after the caboose.
There's no passing the buck. Let's not allow all the rules of fair play to be thoughtlessly tossed out the train's window as we sit back and enjoy the ride. Editors on the Web are the ones with the authority to make positive changes and they certainly have the responsibility to know exactly what's posted on their sites, under what conditions it got there, where it goes next - and why.
Roberta Beach Jacobson has contributed to 22 books and has published print articles in eight countries. Her Website is www.travelwriters.com/Roberta.
