My Nonprofit Reviews

While I appreciate the mission of Truthout, I watched a writer friend of mine get stuck in their exploitative cogwheel. I have major issues with their business model for working writers under their submission guidelines, in which they expect writers to do the following:

1. Submit their work for free.
2. Submissions cannot be simultaneously pitched to other publications (did I mention they're demanding writers work *for free*?)
3. Meanwhile, they can take up to a month to decide whether to publish, holding the *unpaid content* hostage from consideration from other publications.
4. This practice is in direct violation of the National Writers Union which has actively campaigned against unpaid writing, particularly for online publications, arguing that professional writers should not be expected to work for free.

This is exploitation without compensation wrapped in flowery words about "revealing systemic social, racial, economic and environmental injustice and providing a platform for progressive and transformative ideas, through in-depth investigative reporting and critical analysis."

Listen. I'm all for a free and open press and I like their work. What I object to is *free labor* and the continued diminishment and devaluing of writers' hard work - who deserve fair compensation, rather than the empty and cynical promise of "exposure."

Pay fair wages for content. Then I might donate. Otherwise, you're just taking advantage of people, which is in direct opposition to your stated mission.