This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/01/adam-afriyies-adfero-churnalism
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| I worked for Adam Afriyie's Adfero – it was the worst kind of churnalism | I worked for Adam Afriyie's Adfero – it was the worst kind of churnalism |
| (14 days later) | |
| This article is the subject of a legal complaint made on behalf of Axonn Media Ltd | This article is the subject of a legal complaint made on behalf of Axonn Media Ltd |
| I spent just under 18 months working as a journalist for Adfero, "the UK's leading dedicated online news provider" and brainchild of Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor and would-be leader of the Conservative party. It was easily the most stressful, bizarre and, at times, hilarious period of my life. | I spent just under 18 months working as a journalist for Adfero, "the UK's leading dedicated online news provider" and brainchild of Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor and would-be leader of the Conservative party. It was easily the most stressful, bizarre and, at times, hilarious period of my life. |
| The warning signs were there from my first morning on the job. I was encouraged by colleagues to enjoy lunch while it lasted because in the next couple of weeks I would get my full allocation of clients, which would make lunch breaks a thing of the past. | The warning signs were there from my first morning on the job. I was encouraged by colleagues to enjoy lunch while it lasted because in the next couple of weeks I would get my full allocation of clients, which would make lunch breaks a thing of the past. |
| The workload subsequently increased from writing 16 stories a day (which was barely manageable) to 25 within a couple of weeks. When I raised concerns with my manager about not being able to handle the amount of work being given to me I was told that the desk had to accommodate it somehow. With everyone else battling their own burden and unable to help, I was plunged headlong into a world of trying to produce 25-30 stories a day about double glazing, human resources, conservatories, holidays in Dubai, garden tools and – my personal favourite – white furniture. | The workload subsequently increased from writing 16 stories a day (which was barely manageable) to 25 within a couple of weeks. When I raised concerns with my manager about not being able to handle the amount of work being given to me I was told that the desk had to accommodate it somehow. With everyone else battling their own burden and unable to help, I was plunged headlong into a world of trying to produce 25-30 stories a day about double glazing, human resources, conservatories, holidays in Dubai, garden tools and – my personal favourite – white furniture. |
| The job boiled down to scouring the internet for stories to rewrite such that they were tailored to a client and, most importantly, could include keywords that would boost search engine optimisation. By publishing this material on their websites, clients would, it was hoped, be given a leg up in the Google rankings. My team was made up of young, recent graduates whose Adfero adventure was, for many, their first employment since gaining a degree. We worked in a cramped office [see footnote] above a takeway where the smell of fast food would waft in on a regular basis, and when the internet was disconnected some of us worked in a coffee shop over the road. On another occasion the editor had to break into the office because workmen had accidently locked a door that no one else had a key for. You couldn't make it up. We often joked that it was like an out of control GCSE business project. | |
| The turnover of employees, who soon realised what the gig entailed, led to low morale – propped up by gallows humour and large quantities of caffeine. Alongside the desks of writers there was a dedicated team of researchers who tried their best to provide us with interviews that were general enough to be relevant to a wide range of subjects, but when things get as specific as white furniture – writers had to pad things out. I remember being so desperate for a white furniture story that I wrote a 160-word piece based solely on this picture of Martin Amis's writing room, which – thank the Lord – contained some white bookcases. | The turnover of employees, who soon realised what the gig entailed, led to low morale – propped up by gallows humour and large quantities of caffeine. Alongside the desks of writers there was a dedicated team of researchers who tried their best to provide us with interviews that were general enough to be relevant to a wide range of subjects, but when things get as specific as white furniture – writers had to pad things out. I remember being so desperate for a white furniture story that I wrote a 160-word piece based solely on this picture of Martin Amis's writing room, which – thank the Lord – contained some white bookcases. |
| The darkest day on the job was when I had to write 36 stories in order to meet my end-of-month target. I was in the office at 7am and at about 25 stories in, things started to get surreal. After a 10-minute lunch break I was looking down the barrel of my fifth story about holidays in Dubai. I couldn't find a thing. I'd searched all the usual sources, but nothing – I was desperate. Then it happened. I found a story about Robert Mugabe being treated in a Dubai hospital. Quickly my brain put two and two together and made crazy: a piece about medical tourism in Dubai pegged to the Mugabe story. Job done! Thankfully my equally overworked subbing partner was more lucid, and reasoned with me before spiking the piece. But that was the kind of tenuous, content-farm churnalism that came from the tired minds of Adfero employees and was dished out to clients on a regular basis. | The darkest day on the job was when I had to write 36 stories in order to meet my end-of-month target. I was in the office at 7am and at about 25 stories in, things started to get surreal. After a 10-minute lunch break I was looking down the barrel of my fifth story about holidays in Dubai. I couldn't find a thing. I'd searched all the usual sources, but nothing – I was desperate. Then it happened. I found a story about Robert Mugabe being treated in a Dubai hospital. Quickly my brain put two and two together and made crazy: a piece about medical tourism in Dubai pegged to the Mugabe story. Job done! Thankfully my equally overworked subbing partner was more lucid, and reasoned with me before spiking the piece. But that was the kind of tenuous, content-farm churnalism that came from the tired minds of Adfero employees and was dished out to clients on a regular basis. |
| If Afriyie thinks this is the right way to run a business God knows what he'd do if in charge of the country. There is a strand within the Conservative party that can't help themselves when it comes to filling the internet with rubbish – whether it's former Tory MP Louise Mensch's Menshn, Afriyie's Adfero or Grant Shapps and his Michael Green internet marketing guru alter-ego. In the case of Adfero, it's the employees who suffer. After working so hard to get a degree they are then faced with a ridiculous workload, non-existent support and a work culture that means they know if they don't like it they can soon be replaced by another hopeful graduate. Before readying his leadership bid, perhaps Afriyie should get his own house in order. | If Afriyie thinks this is the right way to run a business God knows what he'd do if in charge of the country. There is a strand within the Conservative party that can't help themselves when it comes to filling the internet with rubbish – whether it's former Tory MP Louise Mensch's Menshn, Afriyie's Adfero or Grant Shapps and his Michael Green internet marketing guru alter-ego. In the case of Adfero, it's the employees who suffer. After working so hard to get a degree they are then faced with a ridiculous workload, non-existent support and a work culture that means they know if they don't like it they can soon be replaced by another hopeful graduate. Before readying his leadership bid, perhaps Afriyie should get his own house in order. |
| • Lanre Bakare worked at Adfero in Leeds for 15 months between April 2009 and July 2010. The office where Mr Bakare was based was fully refurbished between April 2010 and June 2010. |