Editor and Publisher: July 2, 2006: Survey Shows Some
Columnists Get "Hot" While Writing
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002765302
By Dave Astor Published: July 02, 2006
(Sadly –
the link is dead….. When I was double-checking to make sure the link is
dead I came across this - Read what Wonkette says about this column here: https://www.wonkette.com/breaking-17-of-newspaper-columnists-clearly-virgins)
BOSTON There are thousands of columnists in America, so a
survey that drew 154 responses should be taken with a grain of salt. But the
poll did offer some insights into the profession, including an interesting
comparison to sex.
The University of San Francisco's J. Michael Robertson
unveiled the results of his survey Saturday at the National Society of
Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) conference here. Columnists polled included
salaried and freelance writers from 38 states and Canada who write in
categories such as political, general-interest, humor, and metro.
When asked "what writing a column is like," 26% of
salaried columnists called it a job and 17% likened it to sex. But Robertson
explained that this wasn't necessarily a positive thing; he said some
columnists feel like they're "married to a nymphomaniac" because they
have to start working on another column as soon as they're finished with the previous
one.
Of the columnists who call themselves political, 22%
identified themselves as Democrats, 44% as independents, and 20% as
Republicans.
The survey also found that 52% of respondents said they've
never had a column killed.
Respondents have been a columnist for a median of seven
years. Median salary for the full-timers is $50,000 to $60,000, and median pay
for each freelance column is $50. Freelance columnists, on average, make only
10% of their income via their columns.
Freelancers have written a median of 400-500 columns during
their careers, and full-timers 1,000-1,500. At least one full-timer responding
to the poll has penned 7,500 columns.
Robertson, who has written for the San Francisco Chronicle,
intends to update the survey as more columnists respond. "It's an ongoing
project," said Robertson, who invited columnists interested in
participating to e-mail him at robertson@usfca.edu.
Earlier in the conference, former NSNC President Mary Ann
Lindley recalled the results of an informal columnist survey taken about 20
years ago. Lindley, now editorial page editor of The Tallahassee (Fla.)
Democrat, said most of the respondents back then were white males -- and only
32% had computers at home.
Dave Astor is a senior editor.
+++ Dayhoff Soundtrack +++
Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.
