Payday Report
Type of site | News |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Area served | United States |
| Founder(s) | Mike Elk |
| URL | paydayreport |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | 2016 |
| Current status | Active |
Payday Report is an American news agency covering labor and union news. Founded in 2016 by Mike Elk, now the outlet runs as a cooperative.[1] Their original reporting is frequently syndicated to NPR, The Guardian, and more. Payday Report is funded directly by readers via crowdfunding.[2]
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Payday Report received wide acclaim for tracking wildcat strikes across the United States.[3][4][5]
History
Mike Elk, a longtime labor reporter, founded Payday Report. Elk had previously worked for Politico until he was fired for attempting unionization.[6][7] This resulted in a National Labor Review Board settlement in Elk's favor.[8] The settlement, combined with crowdfunding, helped to established the news outlet in Chattanooga in 2016. It relocated to Elk's hometown Pittsburgh in 2018.[9]
Most news outlets attach the labor beat to general reporters. However, Payday Report has been one of the few news agencies dedicated to labor reporting. According to Columbia Journalism Review this leads to a "more nuanced and solutions-based" reporting.[10] Notable stories include the 2018 West Virginia teachers' strike[11] and uncovering sexual misconduct at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.[12]
References
- ^ Maynard, Patrick (18 July 2020). "Worker-Run News Outlets Are Good News for the Labor Movement". Truthout. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
Payday Report has been a key news source for this heightened activity.
- ^ Vuocolo, Alexander (1 June 2020). "Podcasters, Writers and Other Creatives Turn to Fan-Direct Platforms as Coronavirus Upends Economy". Cheddar. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Cheadle, Harry (29 April 2020). "Coronavirus Has Caused More Than 150 Strikes. This Map Is Tracking Them All". Vice News. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ Martin, Michel (6 September 2020). "The State Of The American Worker During A Pandemic". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
Payday Report has tracked more than a thousand workers' strikes since March 1, 2020
- ^ Pierce, Charles (29 April 2020). "Forget the Haircut Protesters. There's a Real Labor Movement Blossoming in America". Esquire. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
The invaluable Payday Report
- ^ Calderone, Michael (17 August 2015). "Politico Labor Reporter Mike Elk Apparently Out". HuffPost. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Cogan, Marin (20 August 2015). "Mike Elk Tried to Unionize Politico's Staff — and Now Has Apparently Been Fired. What Happened?". New York. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Wemple, Eric (27 October 2015). "Labor activist-cum-reporter Mike Elk reaches settlement with Politico over summer departure". The Washington Post. Fred Ryan. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Elk, Mike (28 April 2018). "The teachers' strikes prove it: the media is finally seeing America's new labor landscape". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
Which I founded with a settlement I received after being fired from Politico
- ^ Ottenhof, Luke (1 June 2020). "America's labor crises hit a depleted beat". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Teachers in Revolt: Meet the Educators in Kentucky & Oklahoma Walking Out over School Funding". Democracy Now!. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ Smith, Ben (6 December 2020). "A Powerful Reporter Got Away With Sexual Misconduct for Decades. His Paper, and His Union, Looked the Other Way". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
Website covers corruption inside unions