Paul Raffaele: Veteran Freelancer Wounded In Suicide Bombing Fighting For Health Coverage

Nieman Watchdog:

Paul Raffaele, a top flight freelancer for Smithsonian magazine, was badly injured in a suicide bombing while on assignment in Afghanistan in 2008. Raffaele says the magazine agreed to insure him but he has nothing in writing. The two are now at an impasse.

Read the whole story: Nieman Watchdog

Comments

[texastrixie]

10:36 AM on 04/03/2010

Smithsonian probably has lots of readers who are on HuffPo. A phone call or letter to the magazine either immediately cancelling your subscription, or stating you will if this situation isn't corrected should be enough to make them change their minds. Smithsonian is an expensive magazine, in a time when magazines are in trouble. They don't have to set Raffaele up in a penthouse, just give him enough pay to meet basic expenses for a year or two.

[KIVPossum]

04:17 PM on 04/03/2010

Done.
Subscribed to them since their first issue.

[hoobit]

02:32 AM on 04/03/2010

"Paul Raffaele: Veteran Freelancer Wounded In Suicide Bombing Fighting For Health Coverage" ~ the Headline.

Since when did suicide bombings begin to fight for health coverage? Fighting for media coverage [of the suicide bombing], I can see, but fighting for health coverage? I mean, really? Suicide bombings are now fighting for health coverage, too? Wow!

Or maybe the headline means Mr. Raffaele was 'fighting for health coverage' [at a rally, I'm presuming?] along with other like-minded individuals and it was there that he was wounded by a suicide bombing? Wow!

Either way, WOW! What a story!

Oh, wait...it's a HuffPo headline! Well then, never mind...

[barkingcat]

10:53 AM on 04/03/2010

Yeah...it's the poorly-written headline.

Time for HuffPost to meet some Remedial Grammar.

Perhaps...

"Paul Raffaele: Veteran Freelancer Wounded In Suicide Bombing and now Fighting For Health Coverage" would have worked a bit better.

[jukesgrrl]

10:32 PM on 04/02/2010

How about we all take our renewal notices and write on them, "I'll renew when you compensate Paul Raffaele. I'm serious. That will get their attention.

[Inaru]

05:09 PM on 04/02/2010

The title is misleading, HuffPo (surprise, surprise!). The journalist Raffaele gets his health insurance with no problem, from Australia, where he's a citizen. What he did not get is the accident insurance that provides income after injury. And for hard-hearted folks who think he deserved nothing more, the article states other large publications cover their freelancers.

The article didn't bother telling us, but I looked at INSI membership page & the Smithsonian is not part of an association (Intl News Safety Inst) that explicitly says there will be equal treatment of staff and freelance journalists when they're working in dangerous locales. Smithsonian had a long relationship w/Raffaele, including publishing his books. It's just gross that they left him hanging like that after such a life-shattering work day, getting them a story.

Smithsonian took full advantage of an aging freelancer who didn't want to lose a dream job. I don't know how they can look in the mirror, but then, I could never be boss. It requires too much exploitation, too much dehumanizing of people deemed 'below' them.

[jozzie]

06:22 PM on 04/02/2010

"The title is misleading, HuffPo (surprise, surprise!)."

Cosign.

"I could never be boss. It requires too much exploitation, too much dehumanizing of people deemed 'below' them."

Cosign II.

[cybersense]

11:45 AM on 04/04/2010

A good boss would work for the employees anyway. If he/she couldn't - it would mean they would have had to be honest with them.

[hubbahubba77]

10:29 PM on 04/02/2010

Very well stated. Co-signed.

[judgejay]

03:35 PM on 04/02/2010

Its a freakin combat zone what was this guy thinking.... Risks go with any occupation invovling war..

[Dosadi]

04:59 PM on 04/02/2010

I think he was thinking that he would be insured.

[4midable]

07:34 PM on 04/02/2010

Is that why, during the Bush years, our soldiers had to buy their own body armor?

[Disdain]

12:16 PM on 04/05/2010

He is an Australian citizen who has health insurance from his country.

[noladeb]

03:20 PM on 04/02/2010

I read most of that incredibly long article. My first thoughts were shame on Smithsonian, but then as I read more I feel like they did meet their obligations to Paul Raffaele.

[mixnmatch]

04:24 PM on 04/02/2010

I agree...

[digimom]

03:15 PM on 04/02/2010

Yeah, he had the "Teabaggers Health Insurance" = NONE.

[Dosadi]

07:44 PM on 04/02/2010

He was not supposed to get hurt. It's in section 1 para. 3.

The fact that he lived means he violated section 1 para. 4. The "die quickly" clause.

[Pandaforum]

12:52 AM on 04/03/2010

why are you blaming the Tea Party movement for something that was obama's fault? This guy is not even an american citizen and had his own universal health care insurance from Australia. why shouldn't thay be responsible for him, or does universal mean somethinng else in upside down australia?

[doubtingdavid]

10:53 AM on 04/03/2010

To libbies it means we should not only cover the uninsured, but illegals anfd the foreign citizens working for US comaopnies abroad, in short we should insure the whole world.

[jcd8822]

02:21 PM on 04/02/2010

A black eye on a once respectable organization. I know we will all be relieved when we hear "The check is in the mail."

[christopherflynn]

01:43 PM on 04/02/2010

and I just extended my subscription to "Smithsonian" today...I'm going to correct that situation..

[larry278]

03:00 PM on 04/02/2010

That's it. I'm going to stop stealing Smithsonian from my dentist's waiting room.

[christopherflynn]

04:16 PM on 04/02/2010

hey, you go to the same dentist i do... "Show me someone with a sense of humor and I'll show you a good person!!!" lol at your comment!!!

[LincolnBrigader]

01:24 PM on 04/02/2010

Yeah, we'll insure you, just don't get hurt or sick.

[tjconkster]

02:26 PM on 04/02/2010

"Yeah, we'll insure you, just don't get hurt or sick."

And if you do...Die Quickly!

[digimom]

03:07 PM on 04/02/2010

WOW, that's a big 10-4..... ;-)

[Disdain]

12:20 PM on 04/05/2010

Did you read the article? He is NOT an American citizen and has full health insurance from his country.

[cyoohoos]

01:05 PM on 04/02/2010

This guy went to Afghanistan without proof of health insurance?

[jukesgrrl]

10:26 PM on 04/02/2010

Obviously you didn't read the article.