A report from London reveals The Daily Telegraph wants to link some elements of journalists’ pay to the popularity of their articles, notes Grumpy Editor.
The plan “alarmed and dismayed” the staff who fear it will “seriously warp our editorial priorities.”
An email sent by Editor Chris Evans informs the staff that “in due course” the paper wants to use the “Stars” system, which scores stories published online according to factors such as how many subscriptions they drive and how many clicks they get, “to link performance to reward” using subscription data.
“It seems only right that those who attract and retain the most subscribers should be the most handsomely paid,” says Evans, who admits that working out the details would be “complicated.”
But staffers are said to be up in arms about the proposals, with some registering their objections in meetings held to explain the plans.
Executives “tried to convince everybody that it’s just experimental, not a big deal,” mentions one journalist. “They were squirming at the questions. Everyone is just hoping it’s one of those mad ideas that eventually they quietly chuck out. Everyone is outraged. People feel compromised.”
Another said: “I’d call the mood mutinous.
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