Paid, yes, definitely. That's a separate conversation. Not even a conversation, even.
Which one was it whose proudest accomplishment was a deep-dive into the career of George Butler? That was Murph, right? Talk about not only drinking the Kool Aid but also handing it out to others...
So strike "white" from my statement then. Otherwise, it stands
I think the $9/week checks are not defendable, but otoh, if I had to deal with people like that, I would be tempted to throw a statement pitch or two myself.
OTOH, pay them and be done with them. Let them whine on and on about everything else.