Hi Jacko
It has happened to me twice now within the last three months, and has also happened at a local PRO/CRO level.
I spoke to DD at Strike on the phone last week and his words were (paraphrased), 'unless the story you are writing is classed as 'hard news', then you will be charged'.
Given that he is the main POC at Strike corporate comms, I think that it's reasonable to assume that he's right - he didn't ask for the name of the publisher or product, and he didn't ask my name, so that rules out the RAF having an issue with one or t'other of us. I have been told that corporate comms are very unhappy with the arrangement.
I am surprised you have not experienced it - I think I know who you are - as it is the talk of the industry at the moment and there are several others I know who have been affected by it (including a former colleague of yours who was told, in writing, to start paying if he wanted to continue to use the words 'Royal Air Force' in his monthly model magazine! Fortunately, that moment of madness was soon overturned and he now has permission to use it for free!)
vecvechookattack
I am not sure exactly what difference it makes how much I get paid. For the record, though, I would expect to receive about £130 per article, and each would take approximately one day to research, write, proof, source images for and then caption. The maths show that I am hardly in it for the money...
My offer of a donation was not intended to be derogatory, but rather a light hearted suggestion that I could buy the boys a round of drinks at the squadron bar. It's certainly not obligatory.