At last Wednesday's weekly staff meeting at the New York Observer, an old-fashioned paper memo was distributed; it was not sent out by email. It explained a new trial incentive program for reporters, to begin immediately. A bonus pool-of money-had been set aside, and, beginning immediately, it would be dispersed to the staff as incentives for web popularity and web traffic.
The body copy: "Almost. In a town hall Tuesday afternoon in Istanbul, Obama told Turkish students that they will be able to judge his accomplishments 'four years from now or eight years from now.'" The headline: "Obama Announcing Reelect?"
Job Description: • Write articles (20 articles within 5 days). • Min 500 words for each article. • This project should be completed within 5 days. • You only will be pay total of $60USD upon completion of all articles. • 100% correct punctuation and grammar!
That's 10,000 words. (To be written in five days.) For 3/5ths of 1 penny per word. Is this Dickens?
Gratuitous photogallery of the day: Shoulder pads are in again! Go ahead and click, we'll be here when you get back.
Journalism 3.0: "Judging by a Twitter search for the #googlefail, the problem was international in scope, though it wasn't immediately clear how universal the problems were."
