WGA pickets 'American Idol' auditions

The Writers Guild Of America has accused American Idol of underpaying its workers.

WGA officials have hired a "Truth Tour" bus to protest at the audition rounds, which kicked off in San Francisco this week.

The union has claimed that a form of writing is involved in the talent show, meaning production staff should be allowed to join the WGA. Unlike scripted dramas and comedies, many reality programmes are not covered by WGA contracts.

Vice-president of WGA West David Weiss argued: "All these shows, they're well-structured. You can't sit through an hour of television that is the result of random footage being strung together."

Justin Buckles, an ex-Idol production assistant who wrote scripts for host Ryan Seacrest, said: "You need to stand up for yourself, and that's what I'm doing at this point."