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> The incentive is not directional

The magnitude matters. Meaning journalists have an incentive to stretch the truth in either direction, as long as it'll get a reaction. A journalist now has to weigh this monetary incentive against their other incentives for being non-hyperbolic, truthful journalists.




The business insider article linked above makes it sound like a relatively nuanced measure. If the article makes a big splash but then gets wiped away by follow-up reporting, it doesn't sound like it gets rewarded.

Think about articles that don't move the market: did they contain novel, important information? If so, why didn't the market move?

It seems like this incentive encourages prioritizing stories which are unreported and meaningful.




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