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Good morning! Gonna post a thread (reposting from IG, but in pieces), about the financial part of what my intellectual labor means to me. Just FYI, I do not argue on the Internet with people I do not know. #proflife
In the last few months, I’ve seen a steep uptick in requests for media interviews. That’s awesome. I love being able to be part of conversations outside of academia. In fact, my whole professional ethic is guided by my desire to bridge academe + industry.
I set up an OoO response linking to my online calendar with availability for medi interviews. Simplifies everything for everyone.
I review most requests/bookings a day or two in advance. I just moved, have had some personal/family concerns as of late, am writing a book, and am running a major research project.
I got this request last week, I think. Reviewed it last night.
I see this isn’t a news media request, but a research interview that will be part of a trade (i.e., non-academic) book project. I reply:
The response:
I call myself a “recovering journalist” because, to date, most of my training has been in journalism. Copy editor, reporter, editorial board member, columnist, section editor, manager, journalism professor.
I know the ethics, norms, and values of the field (and am working on research to decolonize US journalism practice, but that’s another post for another day).
But in this iteration of my career, I am a researcher. A consultant. A strategist. And I will be paid for my well-won insights.
I’ve invested literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in my education, training, and ongoing development of expertise (as have the U.S. DoE, the states of FL, TX, NC, and the Commonwealths of KY & VA - which is to say, none of this is free. Ask #FedLoan.)
Earning wages for my intellectual labor is a fair and just practice; it is a normalized practice in this capitalistic, white hetero-patriarchal social system.
I understand that journalists don’t pay sources - I never did. But the labor of journalists-turned-book-authors, who earn advances and royalties from their labor, shift the dynamics.
I think it’s safe to assume that this journalist-turned-author isn’t working on a passion project for free.
I am a Black woman who made a career choice to earn my living as an intellectual. It comes at a steep cost, both socially and economically.
I am a Black woman who made a career choice to earn my living as an intellectual. It comes at a steep cost, both socially and economically.
Remember the wage gap? The wealth gap? The health disparities reported as statistics, separated from the narratives of the individual and community’s loved experiences? Yeah, that’s me.
That is what I bring, along with perspective that someone might seek, when I show up to answer questions and provide context about social phenomena. Every dollar I ask for addresses a part of my lived experience – not just the part that is valuable or interesting to you.
The rules of engagement are different for news reporting, students, and to a limited extent, colleagues. But if you’re getting paid (or expect to get paid) for your labor, you’d best believe I expect to be paid for mine.
