Reed Business Information is debating a pay-per-view pay model for its journalists, according to RBI managing director Jim Muttram.

Should the company adopt the idea of compensating journalists based on number of page impressions, journalists would have to take a lower basic salary in return for a commission style bonus, reports Journalism.co.uk.

"We have done some thinking about how we might reward journalists for page impressions. It's such a controversial view I think it would take some time before that comes around but it makes good sense," Muttram said.

Some companies, like Incisive Media, have already put in place similar models. At Incisive, senior editorial staff amongst the publisher's titles receive bonuses for meeting online and digital targets.

A pay-per-view model of the sort proposed by RBI is a mixed bag. Optimistically it could encourage journalists to work harder to get a story. But it is just as likely to lead to sensationalism, as journalists try and one-up each other to attract the most readers.

Source: Journalism.co.uk through IFRA Executive News Service