In response to my request for bird pix for the Seattle Press,
Don Baccus writes:

This is a *newspaper*. They normally *pay* real dollars for
photographs. It may only be $25 or $30 or so dollars, but they
*do* pay.

It's great that your students are writing for this rag for the
experience, rather than money. And it is great that the rag is
giving them this opportunity. The opportunity would be more
realistic if the rag followed through by doing what real publications
worldwide do for words - PAY. Your class could donate the funds
to a school activity or fund, perhaps for something like resource
materials for kids interested in learning more about becoming a
writer.

I give my photos for free to a very wide range of organizations,
kids, and the like. I'll be damned before I'll give photos for
free to a NEWSPAPER.

Don, As a freelance writer who makes my living selling my work,
I totally agree with you. For the record, however, publishers
pay in a variety of ways for creative work. Some pay with dollars,
others with a byline and copies. It depends on their finances.

In the case of the Seattle Press, this is a community
newspaper strapped for cash. Its previous owner struggled for
years to keep it going, then sold before going bankrupt.

The new owners will also struggle. As retail businesses
consolidate into megacompanies with offices distant from
local communities, they stop advertising in community
newspapers. When that happens, the community papers die.

I don't know about Portland, but Seattle community papers are
almost all on the edge of going out of business. Since I value
the alternate viewpoints they frequently espouse and their ability
to give voice to people who are seldom heard in the big dailies,
I do think it's worthwhile to submit my - and my students' work -
for free. Though I would certainly accept a check.

Also for the record, sometimes my kids do get paid. They donate
the money to their class. Connie