NewsBreak writing platform: What you need to know in 2024
Understanding the tiers for contributors so you will knowe where you fit.
Newsbreak the current situation
NewsBreak is a writing platform where a lot is learned through trial and error. I recall a pastor telling the congregation in the late 1990s that sometimes it's "not what's taught but what is caught". When you do not receive emails explaining shifts and changes, it can be frustrating, and not everyone catches things immediately. This is why I desire to breakdown the current situation for those who desire to know.
The NewsBreak platform recently began emphasizing its desire for those who submit articles to write local articles about happenings in their city or state. National articles no longer receive widespread distribution, which is the penalty for those who continue to write them. This was difficult for those who had been used to writing what they chose.
Community Voice, Writer, or Contributor
NewsBreak now has three tiers for those who join the platform. Initially, everyone was a Community Voice. This will now be the label for those who have no experience writing on any other platform. The second level is called Writers, which is for those who can verify they have written elsewhere recently on the Internet. Two articles from sites like Vocal Media, Medium, and Hubpages are acceptable to qualify for being promoted from a Community Voice to a Writer.
The issue has come in with those who desire to be qualified as Contributors, which is the third and top level. NewsBreak also prints News from publishers like The New York Times and Newsweek. The platform now frowns on rewrites of publisher articles, which is how some content creators have made their living until now.
Hard News is the issue.
Quite a few who write on the platform say they were turned down after applying to be a Contributor and needed help understanding why. Here is the gist of it as I see it. NewsBreak desires Contributors to submit five Hard News articles published recently online and provide credentials -certification, degrees etc. that they have worked for a reputable publication. In other words, you must prove you are a credible journalist who has published Hard News. Britannica describes Hard News as follows:
Hard News is a journalistic style and genre focusing on events or incidents considered timely and consequential to people locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Traditionally, hard News covers politics, international affairs, economics, and science.
Quite a few Community Vocies have said they were approved as Writers but turned down as Contributors. If you do not have a degree or journalistic credentials, it makes sense that you cannot write hard national News. This may seem unfair to those who had been writing whatever they wanted until now for NewBreak, but it gives the platform credibility. Those who come to the paltform after the fact will not be affected because they will be starting fresh and not adjusting to changes.
How to make it work
Those who are at the Community Voice level can always apply to write for Vocal. Media. Medium, Hubpages, or other online platforms so they can be elevated to Writer status. Many writers may not be promoted to Contributors because it requires obtaining credentials they may be unable to or unwilling to seek.
So again, a Community Voice writes for NewsBreak and no other platform. Writers have their work on additional sites, and Contributors have verified their professional standing as journalists. I hope this breakdown helps someone understand this is not a slap in the face.
There has been a lot of spamming and plagiarism on the platform, with bots and AI being used to rewrite articles in their entirety. Five or six articles of mine were stolen and reprinted on NewsBreak, so the platform is trying to stop this and show itself to be credible.
About the Creator
Cheryl E Preston
Cheryl enjoys writing about current events, soap spoilers and baby boomer nostalgia. Tips are greatly appreciated.
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