Per Newsweek, reporting from New York Times journalists Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson found that Russini earned close to $800,000 per year at The Athletic, placing her among the outlet's top earners. The report also noted she remained under investigation after departing a position where she had been positioned as one of the sports publication's marquee faces.
The salary figure grabs attention. What matters is what happens when a media company and a star employee part ways badly. When compensation details surface during a reputational fight, every talent contract in every newsroom suddenly looks less like a private agreement and more like potential leverage in a public dispute.
This reads as a message to the entire industry. Star reporters can still command star money. Publishers want everyone to know who controls the platform, the investigation, and the paper trail. That calculus may satisfy executives in the moment. It also sends a clear signal to every expensive on-air hire and insider: exits get ugly when the company decides to fight back with numbers.
Filed to the Media desk · Jun 24