AOL Fires Freelancers, Invites Them to Contribute for Free

Business Insider is reporting that AOL has just fired all of its business and finance freelance writers. Business Insider received an email from someone claiming to be a freelancer for AOL, who writes of the chaos in the weeks since the Huffington Post-AOL merger:

The entire transition process has been schizophrenic — we were told that they would not be rushing into anything, but that the process would be completed in three weeks. We were also told that everything would be handled on a case by case basis, and then we were all let go, no exceptions made, on one day.

It’s certainly upsetting news, but that’s not even the worse of it. The person who wrote that email also stated that AOL has invited freelancers to keep writing for their respective sites without pay. That’s like having your girlfriend dump you, then add that you’re welcome to keep watching Gossip Girl with her every week if you want to.

Stay classy, AOL.

UPDATE: Peter Goodman has sent a note to Business Insider, denying the above report.

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