---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some media companies that rely on…"
description: "\"Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are tying journalist compensation to the traffic their story generates. It doesn't work because i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg"
---

#  Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are…

![“Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are tying journalist compensation to the traffic their story generates. It doesn't work because it de-prioritizes writing.” quote by Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg)

> “Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are tying journalist compensation to the traffic their story generates. It doesn't work because it de-prioritizes writing.”

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Linking journalist pay to traffic encourages clickbait, undermining depth and quality of reporting.

**In simple terms:** Paying for clicks hurts serious writing.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize editorial standards over page views.

Themes

journalism ethics advertising quality incentives

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical commentary

When to use this quote

- newsrooms
- online media
- content strategy
- advertiser relations

Key Concepts

media economics clickbait editorial integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can newsrooms reward depth without sacrificing revenue?
- What alternatives exist to traffic‑based pay?

A Different Perspective

Traffic metrics don’t capture investigative value.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [All media owners want to attract advertising revenue. Google is no different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/all-media-owners-want-to-attract-advertising-revenue-google-is-no/)

[Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/)

> [I don't have many expenses as a college student (mostly food) so I'm able to put advertising revenue right back into the production of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marques-brownlee/i-don-t-have-many-expenses-as-a-college-student-mostly-food-so-i-m/)

[Marques Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marques-brownlee/)

> [I've set aside a nice chunk of my advertising revenue each month for giveaways, like a KitchenAid mixer. I like buying them for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-ve-set-aside-a-nice-chunk-of-my-advertising-revenue-each-month-for/)

[Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/)

> [“Thus it continues to bring in millions of dollars in syndication fees and advertising revenue every year - $3.1 billion total between its 1998 finale and 2014.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-keishin-armstrong/thus-it-continues-to-bring-in-millions-of-dollars-in-syndication-fees/)

[Jennifer Keishin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-keishin-armstrong/)

> [The major media companies are playing a defensive game, and I'm not sure I blame them. If you look at the digital revolution, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-e-sloan/the-major-media-companies-are-playing-a-defensive-game-and-i-m-not/)

Harry E. Sloan

> [The problem that we've had is four media companies run media, globally. And some say they're on the Right and some say they're on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/the-problem-that-we-ve-had-is-four-media-companies-run-media-globally/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [If you look at the Internet, it's been hard for a lot of the traditional media companies to launch viable brands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-freston/if-you-look-at-the-internet-it-s-been-hard-for-a-lot-of-the/)

[Tom Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-freston/)

> [I look at the artists as mini media companies, like if Beyonce is ESPN and Lady Gaga is Discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stoute/i-look-at-the-artists-as-mini-media-companies-like-if-beyonce-is-espn/)

[Steve Stoute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stoute/)

> [New media companies look remarkably like the old ones they aspire to replace: male, pale, and privileged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/new-media-companies-look-remarkably-like-the-old-ones-they-aspire-to/)

[Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/)

> [Viewers don't care how big media companies are. They care whether they can dump those they don't like, whether because of lousy service or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/viewers-don-t-care-how-big-media-companies-are-they-care-whether-they/)

[Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/)

> [Media companies, under the guise of piracy, are asking congress to give them more control over fair use. Hollywood wants to control innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/media-companies-under-the-guise-of-piracy-are-asking-congress-to-give/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Google's ability to pick winners and losers in the information world is a menace. These companies have the ability to determine which media companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/google-s-ability-to-pick-winners-and-losers-in-the-information-world/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [Size and synergies between the different segments of the company matter. As far as we are concerned, the Internet is broadening our opportunity, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/size-and-synergies-between-the-different-segments-of-the-company/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [I believe that all brands will become storytellers, editors and publishers, all stores will become magazines, and all media companies will become stores. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/i-believe-that-all-brands-will-become-storytellers-editors-and/)

[Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/)

> [Most newspaper companies still have their heads in the sand, but other media companies are aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/most-newspaper-companies-still-have-their-heads-in-the-sand-but-other/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

## More by Om Malik

> [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [I worry about Google's data ethics and about the idea of handing over the corpus of my life, but I can't deny that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/i-worry-about-google-s-data-ethics-and-about-the-idea-of-handing-over/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [On my end, I am still surprised that many media organizations are unable to adapt to new media formats and, more importantly, new network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/on-my-end-i-am-still-surprised-that-many-media-organizations-are/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Mindfulness is natural when you do not need to think about minor daily problems like making a living!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/mindfulness-is-natural-when-you-do-not-need-to-think-about-minor/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [I think the emotional appeal of a platform is what works. I think the old-media entities still have not figured out that part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/i-think-the-emotional-appeal-of-a-platform-is-what-works-i-think-the/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Its definition can be a bit murky, but to me, native advertising is a sales pitch that fits right into the flow of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/its-definition-can-be-a-bit-murky-but-to-me-native-advertising-is-a/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Most competition in Silicon Valley now heads toward there being one monopolistic winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/most-competition-in-silicon-valley-now-heads-toward-there-being-one/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Photography has always been about capturing light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/photography-has-always-been-about-capturing-light/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [The marriage of computing and connectivity without the shackles of being tethered to a location is one of the biggest disruptive forces of modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/the-marriage-of-computing-and-connectivity-without-the-shackles-of/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Sure, Google's and Apple's ecosystems look a little different, but they are meant to do pretty much the same thing. For the two companies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/sure-google-s-and-apple-s-ecosystems-look-a-little-different-but-they/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [As an online journalist, newswire journalist, newspaper writer, I wrote every day. My whole thing was, 'I have to write and report and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/as-an-online-journalist-newswire-journalist-newspaper-writer-i-wrote/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [From analog film cameras to digital cameras to iPhone cameras, it has become progressively easier to take and store photographs. Today, we don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/from-analog-film-cameras-to-digital-cameras-to-iphone-cameras-it-has/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [A lot of what people are calling 'artificial intelligence' is really data analytics - in other words, business as usual. If the hype leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/a-lot-of-what-people-are-calling-artificial-intelligence-is-really/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [I know I am not alone in struggling with Facebook and how we experience it through its news feed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/i-know-i-am-not-alone-in-struggling-with-facebook-and-how-we/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Everybody's trying to repeat the past with the new network, with new devices and new tools. Why not make something brand-new?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/everybody-s-trying-to-repeat-the-past-with-the-new-network-with-new/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

[Explore all 98 Om Malik quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

## More Advertising quotes

> [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/)

[Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/)

[Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/)

> [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/)

[Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/)

> [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/)

[William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/)

> [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/)

[Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/)

> [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/)

[Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/)

[Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/)

> [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/)

[Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/)

> [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/)

[John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/)

[Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are tying journalist compensation to the traffic their story generates. It doesn't work because it de-prioritizes writing.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Om Malik"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advertising-revenue-are-tying/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advertising"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advertising-revenue-are-tying/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e52/om-malik-6737_advertising_some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advert_2066266.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some media companies that rely on advertising revenue are tying journalist compensation to the traffic their…” — Om Malik",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Om Malik",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some media companies that rely on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advertising-revenue-are-tying/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/some-media-companies-that-rely-on-advertising-revenue-are-tying/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
