To The Herald’s publisher: Do yourself, your journalists and the city of Everett a favor: Pay your reporters what they need to live in the region they cover, and back off the idea of tying wages to story quotas.
Failing to pay your reporters a living wage will endanger the quality of this vital outlet and ultimately disservice readers. I know the paper may face financial challenges, but, as a longtime journalist and editor, I can tell you right now that such a low salary floor will not put you in the business of journalism, it will put you in the business of constantly looking for journalists. We have come to the end of the era where young journalists sacrifice a living wage for a foot in the door at their local daily. The reporters who acquiesce out of necessity will end up splitting the second they get the chance. This model tanks morale, strangles productive, high-synergy news teams in their cradle, and introduces all the inefficiencies that arise from a revolving door hiring and training process. You may think you’re acting in your financial interest by paying workers scraps, but you’re not; and the readers will notice.
Furthermore, dangling an extra dollar in front of journalists for hitting arbitrary quotas is counterproductive. I understand the need for reporters to produce work quickly, but there’s a difference between quick work and rushed work. Building a news team that knows the city well enough produces high-quality work at a fast pace; quotas produce rushed slop. That’s why so few real news outlets impose them.
I’m well aware that newspapers are in a tight spot financially. The tech giants gutted our ad sales, costs climbed, and readers increasingly became viewers. But the answer to those problems does not lie in adopting the slash-and-burn strategies that Carpenter Media Group picked up from Alden Capital. The answer lies in meeting readers where they are and building sustainable teams of journalists who know the communities they serve.
But I know you know that. In July of this year, you said, “Our success depends on providing local news coverage you won’t find anywhere else, told in stories that carry ethical standards and compassion.” You’re right. And if you decline to pay your reporters what they’re worth and then chain them to a hamster wheel, you know The Herald will produce re-warmed press releases and “stories” riddled with errors and devoid of compassion.
Do not fail your reporters. If you do, then you’ll fail the paper, the readers you serve, and the city right along with it.
Rich Smith
Seattle
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