With the rise of the “gig economy” has come a debate over who is an employee, and who is truly an “independent contractor.” Do we need to create a new category of worker just for the Uber era?

Even in ideal conditions, it is not easy making a living as a freelance writer. It is much harder when the places you write for don’t pay you promptly. That’s where we come in.

Yesterday, we brought you true stories of people who work behind the scenes in reality (or "nonfiction") television. Since then, we've been flooded with more emails from industry insiders, detailing poor working conditions. We bring you some of them below.

In your penniless Monday media column: TONY freelancers say they're being stiffed, NPR is afraid of the public's emails, The Daily may have to fight for its name, and Whoopi vs. O'Reilly, round two.

In your hope-infested Thursday media column: the Right Nation is not media-friendly, layoffs at the Miami Herald, the NYT PR department is getting poach-y, and an offer of help for stiffed Paste freelancers.

In your class warrior Thursday media column: the media is congenitally unable to stop covering stupid stories, Mississippi's Fresh Air censor resigns, more theories of David Westin's departure, and Paste magazine freelancers are left high and dry.

Dr. Harriet Hall, a former Air Force flight surgeon who writes about debunking medical quackery, landed a column in Oprah's O Magazine last year. Now, it's been dropped. Dr. Harriet Hall did not enjoy the experience at all.

In your trendy Tuesday media column: another big name leaves Newsweek, ProPublica's employees are shockingly well-compensated, magazine trends examined, more freelance payment fuckery, and OK! is not OK!

In your contentious Friday media column: freelancers say BlackBook's not paying them, a family sues Metro for misleading photo usage, WaPoCo makes money (no thanks to the newspaper), and a bidder for Newsweek says he was ignored.

In your arousing Monday media column: Hugh Hefner wants to take Playboy private, new media editors at the NYT, Bill Hemmer's lies don't fool anyone, and screwed freelancers will not be screwed forever.

In your indignant Wednesday media column: yet another example of the WSJ's determined surliness, big media buys cheap ass stories, the battle for control of the doomed Philly papers, and Alex Pareene is somewhere else now.

Last week we told you that Regent/ Here Media, publisher of Out, The Advocate, and other gay titles, was ripping off freelancers. Oh, the tips that poured in! They are really deadbeats, apparently. New scathing complaints against the company, below.

Screwing freelance writers is just wrong. We're doing our part to expose those who don't pay up. Today: complaints that Regent/ Here Media, owner of Out and The Advocate, is ripping their freelancers off.

Here's a totally friendly memo from the New York Times that went out to all their freelancers, apropos of nothing in particular, reminding them to please not accept free stuff. Looks like someone is in trouble!

Companies are supposed to mail out tax forms to freelancers by the end of January. But we hear that Conde Nast had some trouble with that.

In your wearying Wednesday media column: the Washington Post is somewhat unpopular, the NYT is just coasting, Steve Coll's secret reading list, and a late freelancer payment tidbit.

The news that AdultFriendFinder may become the first Internet porn venture to go public is the latest step in the unstoppable mainstreaming of porn. But porn is still the most "Not Safe" of "NSFW" material. Unless you work from home!

Hamilton Nolan has taken frequent aim at 'pansexual' self-promoter and editor Neal Boulton's public antics, usually with a disclosure that Genre magazine never paid him $250 for a story Boulton assigned. Today, they bury that hatchet. A letter from Boulton:

Yesterday we told you about Time Inc.'s freelancer scam—the company will pay you quickly, but it'll cost you up to 4%. Today, another tipster has clued us in to NBC Universal's version, which is even worse.

Time Inc. has opened up a fantastic new market: charging its freelancers for the privilege of being paid for their work in a timely fashion.