Understanding the Writers Guild Strike
By stephanie - Wednesday, November 7th, 2007
I live in Los Angeles and I know a lot of TV writers, guys who have written for shows such as The Family Guy. I know a guy who wrote for Saturday Night Live for many years. And let me tell you something: These guys are not rich. They aren’t driving around in Ferraris, they aren’t living in huge mansions overlooking the ocean, they aren’t wearing expensive clothes. Residuals are often the only way these writers can make a decent living doing what they love.
It’s ironic to me that the studios want to give writers zero on Internet downloads, and yet they get all upset when fans download shows through file-sharing networks. Well, studios, I tell you what. You’re not giving fans much of an incentive to support your copyright, when you don’t have the cents to pay your writers properly.
Watch this video for a very clear explanation of how the writers are getting screwed by the networks on this issue:
If you are a fan and want to support the strike, check out this website for more information on what you can do. Sci-fi fans in particular have been already mobilizing. We’re the best fans, aren’t we?