National Geographic editor added to Nov. 18 panel on how to make blogging pay

A panel discussion of blogging as well as the merits and pitfalls of writing for free will now feature four panelists, including an editor from National Geographic. Come hear the lively discussion of “How to Make Blogging Pay” on Monday, Nov. 18, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the Conference Rooms.

Blogging offers opportunities and risks. It can bolster a journalist’s career. On the other hand, journalists are frequently asked to blog for free or very little pay, a trend that seems to be growing in the publishing industry. The panel will include:

Nate Thayer, an investigative journalist who spent 25 years as a foreign correspondent, much of that based in Asia. Thayer’s reporting has earned him the World Press Award, the British Press Scoop of the Year Award, the Francis Frost Wood Award for Courage in Journalism and a nomination for a Pulitzer by The Wall Street Journal. Thayer hit a nerve with journalists last March when he posted an e-mail exchange with an editor at The Atlantic, who asked him to write an article based on a blog post for free. His blog can be found at here.

Max Magee created and edits The Millions , an online magazine covering books, the arts and culture. The Millions has been called “the indispensable literary site” by The New York Times and has been featured on National Public Radio and noted by the Guardian in the UK, The Los Angeles Times and the New Yorker. Magee started The Millions as a blog in 2003 because of his love of literature. It has since grown into a profitable publication that pays its writers.

Leslie Trew Macgraw is the editor and producer for the Intelligent Travel blog network at National Geographic. She received her master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism -- where she specialized in magazine writing and publishing, video storytelling, and long-form narrative journalism -- and her B.A. in English from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She is originally from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Tam Harbert is an independent journalist who has covered technology, business and public policy for 20 years. She worked for a variety of technology publications, including serving as executive editor of Electronic Business magazine. She has freelanced full time since 2006 and has maintained a blog, called A Company of One, for the last four years. Harbert uses her blog to market herself as a freelance writer.

The discussion will be moderated by Hannes Luth, founder and owner of Wunderbar Media LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based company offering television production, cross-culturing training and consulting for creative professionals in four languages.

The panel is sponsored by the Freelance and Professional Development committees. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for Club members, but must be reserved here. For more information, contact Hannes Luth at [email protected].