On the ITV news they made a point on how she was paid less than Jeremy Bowen and Jon Sopel. But surely despite all being editors, the latter two should be paid more.
I'd assume Middle East Editor comes with a 'at risk of being blown up any moment' bonus and also the fact that Bowen has worked for the BBC for a million years and held that post for a good 10 years or more will count for something.
North American Editor must also come with a higher rate as like it or not, the U.S. is always at the top of the news agenda, and Sopel appears on the network news practically every day.
I’m not convinced that this argument stacks up. Only four years separate Sopel, Bowen and Gracie in terms of length of service; I appreciate that you’re being a little tongue in cheek regarding Bowen being there for “a million years” but Sopel joined the Corporation a year earlier.
It’s fair to say that being based in the Middle East exposes a correspondent to a greater risk. However, the China Editor faces comparable risks in terms of (Chinese) government scrutiny, reporting restrictions and the ever present risk of being detained by Chinese authorities.
In respect of the North American Editor, it’s fair to say that the role has a certain cachet. However, Sopel is seldom seen “practically every day” and more often than one sees Laura Bicker, Nick Bryant or Laura Trevelyan instead. If I’m honest, I think that Sopel is a ‘bit of a waste of space’ in the role; it didn’t seem like a good fit at the time that he was appointed to the role, especially given his relative inexperience vis-a-vis US affairs (cf. Matt Frei, Justin Webb, Nick Bryant, etc.)
It is ironic that the editor with the most challenging role at present is actually Katya Adler. As Europe Editor, she is tasked with covering Brexit, the Catalan separatist movement, the Mediterranean immigration crisis, the rise of nationalist and populist movements across Europe, the problems facing the Eurozone (and the EU) and the age-old struggle for power between France and Germany.
Yes, Trump is a source of concern, derision and instability. Yes, the Middle East could explode at any moment (though the Trump administration doesn’t help matters). But China, where President Xi is as powerful as (if not more so than) Mao, where the regime in Beijing holds the key to the Korea question, and Europe are far more consequential at present.