Rachael Revesz looks at the increase in tipping as a source of journalistic income


cross the Atlantic, tipping is commonplace and expected, whether you’re buying a beer or getting your hair cut. Now tipping culture is entering the world of journalism – and has little to do with customer service.


Service not inc A


for planning and a modicum of financial security. In the olden days of print media, this was called a ‘subscription’.” Friedman’s newsletter has around 40,000 subscribers and her podcast has about 100,000 listeners per episode. She started them in 2013 and 2014 respectively and, together, they deliver about 50 per cent of her income, mostly through advertising. However, Friedman adds that even creatives with thriving


A pioneering example is Popula, a US website, which


introduced a system of ‘microtips’. Appreciative readers can pay writers via a form of digital currency called ETH into the writer’s ETH wallet on the website. This exchange potentially allows staffers and freelancers to earn more for their published work, either at the time of publication or years down the line, for example if their content is used in a lecture or if the subject of an old interview becomes famous. Popula editor Maria Bustillos explains that microtips are


like a royalty system in the music industry. Blockchain technology, which facilitates microtips and ecurrency payments, also helps with archiving work. “They [tips] provide the beginnings of a new kind of


permanent revenue stream for journalists, protect their work, and defend press freedom and speech rights,” Bustillos said, adding that, over time, this revenue stream could “supplement retirement income in a meaningful way”. Popula’s ecurrency initiative, to some extent, mirrors Steem,


a ‘social blockchain’ that allows people to be paid for posting content, instead of content distributors and publications having to rely on advertising or selling user data. Reddit also allows you to spend virtual coins on awards for the ‘finest Reddit users’, which gives awardees access to its premium service. Bustillos insists that Popula is taking these ideas to a new


level for journalists’ benefit. “We think we’re the first publication staffed by working


journalists to try crypto-microtipping,” she said. “I’m pretty sure we’re the first to design and optimise these techniques with a view to protecting journalists and press freedom.” Gaining money years after being paid a fee for a piece is


welcome. An NUJ fees guide from 1991 shows how fees and day rates have remained stagnant for nearly 30 years. When this is combined with rising numbers of layoffs and closures – such as those at BuzzFeed and The Pool – and refusals to recognise unions, it is no surprise that a virtual sea of journalists are looking for alternative sources of income. “These things [tipping] pop up when work is structurally under-compensated,” said Ann Friedman, journalist and co-founder of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast in the US. “It’s good to offer readers and listeners the opportunity to directly support the writers and podcasters they care about. I don’t love the ‘tipping’ framework, though. I think support on an ongoing basis – like a Patreon or Substack model, with recurring payments – is more meaningful, because it allows


16 | theJournalist


Patreon support can fall below the numbers required from advertisers, which is around 50,000 listeners per episode. “A mix of funding models is what makes me feel best right


now, because nothing feels particularly reliable,” says Friedman. Patreon – which became famous for raising $80,000 a


month for controversial Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson until he closed his account in January – allows writers to install a paywall for content,and offers deals depending how much you pay per month. In the UK, an increasing number of journalists are using Patreon, including Laurie Penny. “I’m asking for your help. Think of this as my tips jar,” she writes on her page. She now earns more than $3,200 a month. When The Pool shut in February, Julia Kingford opened a GoFundMe account which raised over £31,000 for almost 70 freelances. The amount owed to each journalist varied hugely – former columnist Marisa Bate wrote that she was owed £9,000. Robyn Wilder, the former parenting columnist, opened a Patreon account for a new parenting-focused newsletter. Amy Jones, writer, podcast and author of The To-Do List and Other Debacles memoir, saw her bank account plunged into overdraft after The Pool’s closure. She added a Ko-Fi account to her email newsletter, which allows readers


Getting paid in cryptocurrency


AT THE END of each Popula article, readers can click a button and tip the writer using ether (ETH) currency. ETH is sent and received


on a peer-to-peer computer network – a public blockchain. Tippers will need some


ETH and MetaMask, a cryptowallet in their browser. An account is needed to buy ETH – you can use a debit card – at an exchange such as Coinbase. Popula said: “Popula’s


authors have received hundreds of microtips through the microtipping feature since it was


launched in February.” Many people like the fact


that cryptocurrencies have no central authority that can remove you from the ETH or other networks. Without sharing personal details, you can send or be sent money anywhere and to anyone. However, this means there is no central authority to


help you, for example, to get back lost funds. Cryptocurrencies are also


volatile – they tanked 80 per cent between January and September 2018. How much can writers


expect? “Tips tend to be well


under a dollar, and very few people own ETH or other cryptocurrencies as of yet,” the Popula statement said. Tips are held for writers for


60 days, and returned in full to the tipper if not claimed. Popula takes five per cent of the tip for ‘system maintenance’ if it does go to the writer.


BRIAN JACKSON / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO


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