Payday Report
{{Infobox website
| name = Payday Report
| logo =
| screenshot =
| url = {{URL|https://paydayreport.com/}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = News
| registration = Optional
| language = English
| founder = Mike Elk
| launch_date = 2016
| alexa =
| current_status = Active
| foundation =
| area_served = United States
| advertising =
| parent =
| location = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://truthout.org/articles/worker-run-news-outlets-are-good-news-for-the-labor-movement/ |title=Worker-Run News Outlets Are Good News for the Labor Movement |last=Maynard |first=Patrick |date=18 July 2020 |website=Truthout |access-date=26 December 2020 |quote=Payday Report has been a key news source for this heightened activity.}} Their original reporting is frequently syndicated to NPR, The Guardian, and more. Payday Report is funded directly by readers via crowdfunding.{{cite web |url=https://cheddar.com/media/podcasters-writers-and-other-creatives-turn-to-fan-direct-platforms-as-coronavirus-upends-economy |title=Podcasters, Writers and Other Creatives Turn to Fan-Direct Platforms as Coronavirus Upends Economy |last=Vuocolo |first=Alexander |date=1 June 2020 |website=Cheddar |access-date=27 December 2020}}
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Payday Report received wide acclaim for tracking wildcat strikes across the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/coronavirus-has-caused-more-than-150-strikes-this-map-is-tracking-them-all/ |title=Coronavirus Has Caused More Than 150 Strikes. This Map Is Tracking Them All |last=Cheadle |first=Harry |date=29 April 2020 |website=Vice News |access-date=26 December 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/06/910321514/the-state-of-the-american-worker-during-a-pandemic |title=The State Of The American Worker During A Pandemic |last=Martin |first=Michel |date=6 September 2020 |website=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |access-date=26 December 2020 |quote=Payday Report has tracked more than a thousand workers' strikes since March 1, 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a32318391/coronavirus-pandemic-140-wildcat-strikes-worker-protections/ |title=Forget the Haircut Protesters. There's a Real Labor Movement Blossoming in America |last=Pierce |first=Charles |date=29 April 2020 |website=Esquire |publisher=Hearst Communications |access-date=27 December 2020 |quote=The invaluable Payday Report}}
History
Mike Elk, a longtime labor reporter, founded Payday Report. Elk had previously worked for Politico until he was fired for attempting unionization.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-elk-politico_n_55cf5acce4b07addcb4325ce |title=Politico Labor Reporter Mike Elk Apparently Out |last=Calderone |first=Michael |date=17 August 2015 |website=HuffPost |access-date=27 December 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2015/08/mike-elk-on-trying-to-unionize-politico.html |title=Mike Elk Tried to Unionize Politico's Staff — and Now Has Apparently Been Fired. What Happened? |last=Cogan |first=Marin |date=20 August 2015 |website=New York |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=27 December 2020 |quote=}} This resulted in a National Labor Review Board settlement in Elk's favor.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2015/10/27/labor-activist-cum-reporter-mike-elk-reaches-settlement-with-politico-over-summer-departure/ |title=Labor activist-cum-reporter Mike Elk reaches settlement with Politico over summer departure |last=Wemple |first=Eric |date=27 October 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |publisher=Fred Ryan |access-date=27 December 2020 }} The settlement, combined with crowdfunding, helped to established the news outlet in Chattanooga in 2016. It relocated to Elk's hometown Pittsburgh in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/28/us-teachers-strikes-workers-labor-unions |title=The teachers' strikes prove it: the media is finally seeing America's new labor landscape |last=Elk |first=Mike |date=28 April 2018 |website=The Guardian |access-date=27 December 2020 |quote=Which I founded with a settlement I received after being fired from Politico}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/labor-reporting-pandemic-crisis.php |title=America's labor crises hit a depleted beat |last=Ottenhof |first=Luke |date=1 June 2020 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |access-date=26 December 2020}} Notable stories include the 2018 West Virginia teachers' strike{{cite web |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/4/teachers_in_revolt_meet_the_educators |title=Teachers in Revolt: Meet the Educators in Kentucky & Oklahoma Walking Out over School Funding |date=4 April 2018 |website=Democracy Now! |access-date=26 December 2020}} and uncovering sexual misconduct at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/06/business/media/pittsburgh-post-gazette-news-guild.html |title=A Powerful Reporter Got Away With Sexual Misconduct for Decades. His Paper, and His Union, Looked the Other Way. |last=Smith |first=Ben |date=6 December 2020 |website=The New York Times |access-date=26 December 2020 |quote=Website covers corruption inside unions}}
References
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External links
- {{Official website|https://paydayreport.com/}}
- [https://paydayreport.com/covid-19-strike-wave-interactive-map/ COVID-19 Strike Map]