There are so many websites out there that do not pay writers. They do not value writing. They see it as a commodity. This is a horrible trend that has lead to endless garbage being spewed over the far reaches of the internet.

Even famous websites don’t pay their writers. The Huffington Post is a classic example. They were sold for $315 million dollars. And how much do they pay most of their writers? $0.

Here are 10 reasons writers should be paid.

1. Good writing takes work. Sure, many people can spew out bad writing without blinking an eye. But good writing – the kind that has actual value – takes time. Writers should be compensated for their time. We don’t ask doctors to perform surgery for free. We don’t ask grocery clerks to work pro-bono. We don’t expect policemen to do their patrols for free. Imagine a police force that worked for free. Yikes!
2. “Free” writers often have ulterior motives. Imagine if the police didn’t get paid. They’d have to make their living somehow.  They’d probably end up being the equivalent of organized crime. What about writers? When you read an article, you want to trust the motives of the person writing it. If that person wasn’t paid for the article, why did they write it? They likely have an ulterior motive. The reasons vary. They could be political, subversive, deceptive, or worse.
3. Writers should be held accountable. Professionals in any field are held to certain standards. As pay has deteriorated for journalists, so have journalistic standards. We need professional organizations that hold writers accountable. The only way to do that is for there to actually be professional writers. Which means paying them. The more they’re paid, the more they have to lose.
4. We need professional journalists. Dictators, criminals, and crooks hate journalists. There is so much crap that happens in the world, and journalists shine the light on it. We need professional journalists. We need to pay them to do real reporting. The fact that the Huffington Post does not pay their writers is one of the most insulting things about their pretense that they’re a “news” organization. They’re not. They’re an outlet for opinion. Not news.
5. Richard Nixon would never have been impeached. Think about it. Without Woodward & Bernstein working as professional journalists, nobody would have shed light on the corruption that lead to the downfall of Richard Nixon. Heck, without journalists he could have been a 2 term president. Or maybe even president for life. Terrifying.
6. Our cultural vibrancy depends on it. If we continue to degrade the writing profession, the rest of our lives will suffer. We need people who can dedicate their lives to clearly communicating good ideas through writing. The only way to do that is to pay writers. If we don’t, writing will be left to hobbyists and those with an ulterior motive. Not a good situation.
7. There would be no Harry Potter. Seriously, if writers didn’t get paid. J.K. Rowling would still be broke. She would never have written the Harry Potter books. That is a sad thought. A very sad thought.
8. We need to be entertained. Seriously. Professional writers are responsible for so much of the entertainment in our lives. T.V. shows, plays, music, novels, comics, movies… All of these depend on writers. If we don’t pay writers for these things, then the quality will suffer. Think about this if you’re ever tempted to illegally download a movie or T.V. show: The writers who worked to create the entertainment should be compensated.
9. Nobody wants to pay for garbage. If you’re paying writers cold hard cash, you don’t want to waste your money. Simply paying for writing increases the odds that good writing will be published, and garbage will be thrown out.
10. Because it is the right thing to do. Need I say more?