In early November, I tweeted an offer to help writers who had been approached by Deadspin after the staff quit in protest over the new ownership’s quest to turn the snarky and smart sports blog into a box score with looser language and wire photos. Freelancers were targeted to pick up the slack. Writer Alan Goldsher contributed one piece to zombie Deadspin – and got vilified by writers and fans. Almost immediately, he resigned.
Goldsher, in a series of heartfelt tweets, apologized for his lapse in judgment. In one post, the veteran freelance writer mentioned that he “never had ANY significant support from colleagues.” I took Goldsher’s comment to mean throughout his career, which made me shudder. It’s not that bad, I thought, so I decided I’d offer to provide an editor’s email address or two to freelancers who had been approached by Deadspin or had considered writing there. It’d be a small gesture of support for a site I loved, and it would keep writers from having to sell their integrity for a byline and a few bucks.
