Yesterday, IGN employees announced that they were unionizing with the NewsGuild-CWA, a labor union for news professionals.
The video game and entertainment site IGN employs a large number of not just journalists but multimedia content creators. This move is perhaps one of the first to acknowledge the overlap between content creators and journalists.
According to Variety, the IGN Creators Guild is currently made up of over 80 employees. 87% of eligible members have signed union authorization cards.
Among other things, the union will be fighting for better pay, healthcare, protection from AI, diversity, and protection from layoffs. What’s especially striking is how some of these measures — including AI protection — are of interest not only to IGN staff. They matter to all content creators, whether they’re independent or part of a legacy media organization.
“I’ve seen what my colleagues are capable of, whether we’re producing content around blockbuster gaming and entertainment releases, spinning up massive live shows around tentpole industry events, or staying abreast of the daily hum of popular culture,” Max Scoville, senior producer and host at IGN, said in a statement.
“IGN is already an industry leader in entertainment media, but it’s crucial that we ensure it also continues to be a bastion for the human beings who give it a voice.”
As the media industry’s instability continues, with layoffs and shutdowns happening left, right, and center, understanding the modern media sphere has never been more important. Namely, journalists these days are more than writers: they’re TikTokers, video editors, podcast presenters, and everything in between.
The relationship between journalists and influencers has been rocky in the past. Journalists sometimes argue that creators are “stealing [their] job.” But as Passionfruit has reported in the past, the financial strain journalism is currently under has more to do with corporate interests conglomerating the news media. Specifically, by using layoffs and AI to cut corners for profit.
And as this IGN unionization demonstrates, creators and journalists alike are stronger when they stand together. There’s been a growing interest in creative labor organization. This ranges from the Hollywood strikes of 2023 to the founding of new professional organizations like the Creators Guild of America. It’s clear solidarity now is more prevalent than ever for creators.
