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Experience: I write fake news
I’m furthering ignorance, certainly, but I don’t think people have died as a result of my workSource: The Guardian
I’ve been writing articles for far-right websites in the US for a year now. I didn’t set out to do this; it started in October 2016, when I was finishing my PhD in London. My funding ran out, and I started writing content to pay the rent. I found clients through websites that allow potential writers to bid for work, and then build a portfolio of reviews from clients. There is an enormous amount of work available – everything from writing product copy to ghost-writing novels.
The first jobs I got were pretty shady. I was writing fake Amazon reviews and descriptions of perfume that had yet to be produced. A reliable client put me in touch with a colleague who runs a number of websites, one of which focuses on news about, and reviews of, guns.
I have never seen a gun, let alone used one, but I took the job. The site carries reviews of handgun accessories, and for each product there is a link to Amazon. My client gets paid for every click-through he generates through Amazon’s affiliate scheme. There are vast numbers of such sites: I’ve written fake reviews of amplifiers, baby products, printers and sex toys.
At first, I was paid $20 for 1,000 words. As the site began to make more money, I got paid more; I now get triple my original rate. I have never met my client, but we talk once a month to set priorities. He is young, American and not into guns. We write under a number of pseudonyms that are designed to look trustworthy to right-leaning American gun enthusiasts: generally, retired men with links to the military. I write for about 15 hours a week, and make £2,400 a month. I don’t have a contract, or any guarantee of ongoing work, but it suits me. I am still finishing that PhD.
The first jobs I got were pretty shady. I was writing fake Amazon reviews and descriptions of perfume that had yet to be produced. A reliable client put me in touch with a colleague who runs a number of websites, one of which focuses on news about, and reviews of, guns.
I have never seen a gun, let alone used one, but I took the job. The site carries reviews of handgun accessories, and for each product there is a link to Amazon. My client gets paid for every click-through he generates through Amazon’s affiliate scheme. There are vast numbers of such sites: I’ve written fake reviews of amplifiers, baby products, printers and sex toys.
At first, I was paid $20 for 1,000 words. As the site began to make more money, I got paid more; I now get triple my original rate. I have never met my client, but we talk once a month to set priorities. He is young, American and not into guns. We write under a number of pseudonyms that are designed to look trustworthy to right-leaning American gun enthusiasts: generally, retired men with links to the military. I write for about 15 hours a week, and make £2,400 a month. I don’t have a contract, or any guarantee of ongoing work, but it suits me. I am still finishing that PhD.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/26/experience-i-write-fake-news?CMP=twt_gu&__twitter_impression=true
Jesus. H. Christ on a trailer hitch.
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