Renowned authors George RR Martin and Neil Gaiman have taken a stand alongside their fellow writers as they join the ongoing 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. The strike, which began on May 2, 2023, is the largest labour dispute in the American television and film industry since the COVID-19 pandemic and the largest for the WGA since the 2007-08 strike.
Writer Nnedi Okorafor shared a post on Instagram showcasing her solidarity with Martin and Gaiman. In her caption, she highlighted the demands made by the WGA, emphasizing the importance of fair compensation, increased residuals, stronger professional standards, and protections for writers in the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry.
The participation of the two esteemed authors in the strike further amplifies the significance of the cause. Martin is renowned for his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which served as the basis for the immensely popular television series Game of Thrones. Gaiman is celebrated for his contributions to fantasy literature, including American Gods and The Sandman series, which have been successfully adapted for screen and television.
The WGA represents 11,500 film, television, news, radio, and online writers across the United States. The union has been negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) regarding various issues, with the focus primarily on residuals from streaming media. The WGA argues that the current distribution of streaming residuals has significantly reduced the average incomes of writers compared to a decade ago.
Moreover, the strike aims to address the concern of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process. Writers are advocating for AI, such as ChatGPT, to be utilized solely as a supportive tool for research or generating script ideas rather than as a replacement for human writers.
The WGA strike has had a significant impact on the entertainment industry, resulting in a disruption of television and film production across the country. It stands as a reminder of the importance of fair compensation and the preservation of professional standards in an industry that thrives on the creativity and talent of its writers.
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