Based on the demise of Yahoo Finance reporter Penelope Trunk, who was sacked because her column didn’t draw enough traffic to warrant the premium rates paid by advertisers, Wasserman states that journalism’s “direction seems to be toward handing over tighter and much more precise influence over editorial content to the outside people who write the checks.”

The debate isn’t new: with the precise measurements enabled y online journalism, “the commercial value of specific editorial offerings is estimated with precision, rewards and punishments doled out accordingly, and coverage cut to fit.”

The new order of online news could lead to what Wasserman calls “calibrated journalism.”

Gawker Media recently announced is created a bonus plan for its bloggers based on the number of page views. Journalists within newsrooms are now often told which stories are most effective on the Web and have attracted most readers.

“I think it's important for desk editors and reporters to understand the habits of their online readers. Desk editors should know what stories play best online; this is not to say that you don't report some stories, but editors should understand what plays best and where,” wrote Yoni Greenbaum writes on his Editor on the Verge website.

The pitfalls of such logic are obvious: biased reporting, editorial choices based on traffic, not news judgment, and so on.

“The problem with online Popularity Pay is that it mistakes journalism for a consumer product, and conflates value with sales volume. Journalists don't peddle goods, they offer a professional service, a relationship,” wrote Wasserman.

And a measurement tool will never determine how much impact an article has had on its readers, however few they are…

Source: Miami Herald through Poynter Romenesko