Assuming you’ve ever gotten a bonus at all (or perks, at all) as a journalist, what was the best?
On Wednesday, Erik Wemple wrote that staff at Washington City Paper will get $250 bonuses.
Before Washington City Paper* published its annual “Best Of” issue in April, it set what Publisher Amy Austin called an “uber goal” for advertising — a “goal that was above the goal,” says Austin. If sales reached that level, Austin declared, editorial staffers at the paper would receive a bonus in May.
City Paper’s Mike Madden told Wemple that in 15 years of journalism, the quarter-thou was the “first bonus I can definitely recall getting myself.”
After reading the story, my editor, Andrew Beaujon, tweeted about a bonus he remembered, and a few other journalists shared theirs, too.
@MikeMadden I got one, my first year at Spin, from Bob Jr. I think that was it. A couple gift cards here and there.
— Andrew Beaujon (@abeaujon) May 7, 2014
@abeaujon I may have gotten a free subscription to the Philly Inquirer when I worked there (or maybe only discounted?).
— Mike Madden (@MikeMadden) May 7, 2014
@MikeMadden @abeaujon I worked at a paper that only ever gave bonuses, instead of raises, period. that way no one's base salary went up.
— erin mccann (@mccanner) May 7, 2014
I think I got $100 bonus when I worked at the St. Joseph News-Press and won a writing award. That was actually cool because the writing award came with $1,000 check.
So what’s the best bonus you’ve ever received? Email me: khare@poynter.org, or find me on Twitter, @kristenhare.
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