In Tough Times, Bob Woodward Sinks to Sub-$2 a Word at Washington Post

According to Editor & Publisher's Joe Strupp, veteran Washington Post editor and writer Bob Woodward earned $10,000 from the paper last year, but will earn a $100 per month from now and have the new title, Associate Editor as part of a voluntary buyout package. Of his old title, Assistant Managing Editor, Mr. Woodward said, "I assist nothing, I manage nothing and I edit nothing... But I am available in any way they want me. On the bench or in the bullpen."

While his salary may seem meager by even blog standards, when you crunch the numbers on how much of Mr. Woodward's work made it into the paper in 2007, it wasn't so bad.

Last year Mr. Woodward wrote collectively 5,089 words for 4 articles (The Keeper of Secrets Earned His Reputation, June 27, 2007; CIA Said Instability Seemed 'Irreversible', July 12, 2007; Greenspan Is Critical Of Bush in Memoir; Former Fed Chairman Has Praise for Clinton, September 15, 2007; and Greenspan: Ouster Of Hussein Crucial For Oil Security, September 17, 2007), earning just under $2 a word.

Sure, that's not the best per-word rate for a living legend with a shelf full of bestsellers, but hey, things are tough all over, you know? Then again, Mr. Woodward is lucky enough to have other sources of income.