Newspapers need to start paying employees extra for each in-demand skill they have.
Other industries do it. For instance, the CIA pays new hires more if they know a critical language like Arabic or Mandarin — tens of thousands more a year. And if you don’t know a critical language, but are willing to learn, the CIA will put you through courses.
Once you reach a certain proficiency, you’ll get paid more. Obviously, most people who join the CIA have certain core skills: knowledge of foreign affairs, strong writing and analytical abilities, ability to pass an in depth background check (many applicants cannot), etc. Most people who apply to the CIA do not know a critical language, which is why the CIA offers big incentives to people who do.
This is exactly what newspapers should do. As much as many people say that all journalists should have online and new media skills, we know that the vast majority do not. That’s fine as long as they have basic reporting skills (basic as in print-only reporting) and a strong grasp of the English language.
But newspapers should pay employees and offer perspective employees incentives to have more than just traditional journalism skill. We could start a reporter out at $30,000 a year if he has basic journalism skills. If that candidate is proficient with CSS and HTML, add $5,000 more on that. If a candidate is proficient with audio and video editing, add another $5,000 (many journalists make less than $30,000 by the way, which is embarrassing and a major reason why there is so little quality journalism).
Flash? $5,000. If existing employees have a problem with this, they should be offered training. If they hit a certain level of proficiency they’ll get the extra $5,000 for each skill. This of course is not happening.
In fact, many employees with these skills are poorly paid and looked down on by “real journalists.” How many papers have talented Web people who are poorly paid and basically only serve to repurpose print content? Far too many.
The reality is that everyone at a newspaper should know how to write. That’s the basic. We need to start paying more for people with additional skills above the standard set.
If journalists knew that each of these skills would net them a higher salary, more would take it upon themselves to learn these skills. Most new media skills aren’t hard to learn. But what’s the real incentive?
Instead of telling people they should learn new skills because the Web is the future or that those people not learning these skill are out of touch, we should do what most real industries do: pay people.
If you haven’t gotten a raise that matches inflation in years, what is your incentive to spend your time and money to learn something new? There is none.
If publishers and top editors expect to get talented and qualified people in the coming years, they’ll have to pay more for people who have more in-demand skills. This also means dramatically rethinking the compensation offered to standard reporters.
Not everyone has the same skills, and not everyone is worth the same to a company. And this whole idea of trying to do more with less is basically waving a white flag. I know I can make more money with my Web skills (and my foreign affairs knowledge) in other industries, and other young Web people like me know the same.
Newspapers are for-profit companies, not charities. So, don’t expect your employees to be charity workers. If you don’t pay your skilled employees properly, they’ll go somewhere else.
And then you’ll really be hurting for money.
