Good post Russell. Who to believe eh?

Another way to frame your question might be.

Identify:

1. Which of these articles is the most evidence based

2. Which of these articles sets out with an audience and purpose

3. Which of these articles took on a life of its own once the writer started doodling and joining dots on the page.

Yes, and the sad state of freelance pay rates extends beyond written output to content in general. Photographers are really feeling the pinch as they compete with ridiculously cheap micro stock agencies to get paid a fair rate (or paid at all) for their work. Many editors offer payment in the form of a by-line and 'prestige' of publication, and that's about it.

It's much less stress to do it for the love of it, and any payment is a bonus. To make a living off it must be hard work indeed.

Hi Russell,

Sorry to hear you'll be departing the Listener - you've done a great job of making tech subject matter interesting and accessible to a wider audience.

Can we assume that the Listener's loss won't be the Sunday Star Times' gain?