How we count
Where the figures come from, the units journalism is paid in, and how we put some of them on one scale. How the pay guide works →
Where the figures come from
Units: 32 ways journalism is paid
| Unit | Figures | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Month | 498 | 108 |
| Day | 103 | 24 |
| Hour | 98 | 30 |
| Piece or item | 77 | 28 |
| Year | 52 | 15 |
| Image | 50 | 19 |
| Percent of base fee | 49 | 19 |
| Week | 39 | 4 |
| Article | 31 | 14 |
| Word | 28 | 8 |
| Assignment | 24 | 9 |
| 1,000 characters | 20 | 9 |
| Feuillet (1,500 characters) | 14 | 3 |
| Lauda (1,400 characters) | 14 | 1 |
| Printed line (37-letter standard) | 11 | 1 |
| Day of 7.5 hours | 9 | 2 |
| Day of 8 hours | 9 | 4 |
| Shift | 8 | 3 |
| Broadcast minute | 7 | 3 |
| Day of 10 hours with a meal break | 5 | 1 |
| Half day | 5 | 3 |
| Event | 4 | 2 |
| Standard line (55 keystrokes) | 4 | 2 |
| 1,000 words | 3 | 1 |
| Percent of revenue | 3 | 2 |
| Episode | 3 | 1 |
| Page (250 words) | 2 | 2 |
| Audio minute | 2 | 1 |
| Manuscript sheet (400 characters) | 1 | 1 |
| Column centimetre | 1 | 1 |
| Finished minute | 1 | 1 |
| Mile | 1 | 1 |
Turning pay into a day
To compare, we turn time-based pay into a day: an hour × 8, a week ÷ 5, a month × 12 ÷ 260, or × 13 or 14 ÷ 260 where the agreement pays that many times a year, a year ÷ 260, a shift as one day. Dollars use the European Central Bank rate for that month. Per word, per feuillet, per image and per piece stay in their own unit, because a word or a page is not the same length in every language. Percentages and formulas are shown as printed.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count