March 6, 2008 9:33 AM
My WaPo copyright issue follow-up
On Monday, after sharing my WaPo problem with you all, I wrote to the editor of the LoudounExtra section:
Dear Mr. Bernstein -I am happy to say I was immediately contacted by Eric Lieberman, Vice President and Counsel, who graciously and without reservation accepted responsibility and expressed a desire to work out an agreement.You printed an article of mine without my permission. See The Washington Post breaking copyright law?
I'm not sure what you were thinking. I know most people are happy to be published at all and would be thrilled to find their writing in the Post.
However, I am a professional writer (9 books and over 900 published, paid articles). My blog clearly states that my work there is protected by copyright law.
I was actually in the process of editing that article - removing the local references - to submit for national publication in other papers of record which have in the past paid me for my work.
I do not write for free. In fact, I have written documentation from December when the Washington Times (which has paid me before) asked to carry something of mine for free and I said absolutely no.
I also do not appreciate seeing my byline without any credentials other than blogger. Besides being an author/freelance writer, I am a Montessori teacher, parent educator, mother of 12 (including adopted kids with special needs), and grandmother of 12. I blog as a way to have a more immediate connection with my readers and to cultivate ideas - but it is certainly not my primary identity and I feel you have belittled my position to speak on this issue by withholding my credentials.
So, how would you like to handle this? Please reply today.
Barbara Curtis
Our exchange was friendly and authentic and the agreement is very fair:
The Post is paying me five times the going rate for the article and will carry this correction in Sunday's Loudoun Extra section:
An excerpt from Barbara Curtis's blog Mommy Life (www.mommylife.net) was reprinted in the March 2 Loudoun Extra without the author's permission. The excerpt was about the decision by Loudoun County's school superintendent to remove the children's book "And Tango Makes Three" from general circulation at Loudoun elementary school libraries. Ms. Curtis is a published author on parenting and learning, a Montessori teacher, and a mother of 12 children.
I was very impressed by the lack of defensiveness, courtesy, and pursuit of a amiable outcome shown by the Post.
Thank you, Mr. Lieberman!
Comments
That is wonderful! I had been wondering how that was going to pan out for you. Will you still be able to sell the re-worked piece to any other publications or is that shot because it is in the Post?
Posted by: Lori | March 6, 2008 10:06 AM
Well, how very appropriate of the Post!
Did they enlighten you at all as to how that article came to appear in their paper?
Did they offer you a job? They should have! The Post could certainly benefit from your all-too-uncommon common sense on today's issues.
Posted by: Maggie | March 6, 2008 10:18 AM
Hooray!! I am so pleased that it was handled well. It is certainly a relief since so much of life takes a fight. Thank you, God.
Posted by: Greta | March 6, 2008 11:22 AM
Good news and it is great to hear that even the WaPo can act responsively.
Posted by: Jeff Miller | March 6, 2008 1:04 PM
I am very glad to hear it worked out so well, but I would also like to know if they shed any light on how such a thing happened in the first place.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | March 6, 2008 2:03 PM
Thanks for letting us know the outcome. I'm impressed how you and they handled the situation.
Posted by: Pam | March 6, 2008 4:00 PM
