Err, Ellee?

How much compensation should be paid to a journalist who is insulted by comment is free readers over his beard? The Guardian decided on the princely sum of £75.

Well, there are two meanings (at least) to the word "compensation". One is the payment you get for a piece of work. Another is, as you say here, compensation for being insulted.

I heard about this today from Paul’s daughter Rebecca who I met a Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce
networking breakfast in Newmarket. We had a really good giggle about
it, she described the payment as “compensation” and told me her father
was still very easy going, so I can’t imagine he made a fuss about it.

The thing is, the standard payment, or compensation, to a writer of a piece at comment is free is £75.

So I think there might be just a tad of confusion here about which meaning of the word "compensation" was meant.

5 responses

  1. She’s be wanting to ban the sale of knives next, y’know…

  2. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    If Jenny Jones’ statistic-mangling climate change article on their at the moment is anything to go by then 75 notes seems a touch high. I wrote more accurate articles in the womb.

  3. sortapundit Avatar
    sortapundit

    Damn – on ‘there’. I hate it when that happens.

  4. dearieme Avatar
    dearieme

    “Compensation” is surely an AMERICAN genteelism when it refers to pay?

  5. IanCroydon Avatar
    IanCroydon

    I can confirm, working for an American organisation, the term is “compensation”.

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