Want to know what's going on with the writer's strike? Get it from the writers themselves. John Roberts at Kung Fu Monkey
has written for both television and film, and counters a libertarian, anti-union argument that the strike is about padding the pockets of already well-paid writers.

Basically, the strike is about residuals, which help keep struggling, "middle-class" writers afloat in between successful projects. Writers want a percentage of revenue generated from online sales, but the studios are taking a "let's wait and see" approach, arguing that they don't yet have a handle on online profitability. Screenwriter John August explains why this argument doesn't cut it for the writers:

There’s widespread belief that the rate paid to writers for DVD’s is too low. It was set 20 years ago, when DVD was a nascent and expensive technology. DVD’s are now cheap and hugely profitable, yet the rate remains fixed . . . Downloads will eventually supplant DVD’s. That’s why it’s crucial to set a fair rate for them now, and avoid the same trap of “let’s wait and see.”

Listen to more writers from two of my favorite shows:

Writers from The Daily Show

Writers from The Office