Updates on the Week’s News, Which is Jill Abramson

“You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the state of its women”

Jill Abramson’s salary at the Times has been revealed and yes, it was lower than her male predecessor’s was.

Salary transparency can be tricky but is important for exactly this reason, argues Felix Salmon.

Here’s some (relatively recent) salary transparency, via NYMag. You’re welcome!

To Politico, the bottom line is clear: Abramson is NOT a feminist martyr.

The Washington Post politely suggests that she is. The Wire agrees, only with less politeness and more supernova-strength sarcasm:

Lesson: Don’t politely ask anyone anything. Stare at your male colleagues until you can see their last paycheck behind their eyes.

Lesson: Be confident, but definitely don’t ever argue with men in your office,especially if you’re their superior or they’re your superior.

Lesson: Before you Lean In, think about whether or not your male boss will be inconvenienced by that lean.

Politico, citing anonymous sources, calls the Washington Post and The Wire “pushy.”*

By the way, lest this fact get lost in the shuffle, Abramson was very good at her job:

Women are sometimes advised to keep a low profile and let their work “speak for itself.” But in Abramson’s case, eight Pulitzers did not speak loudly enough. Revenue growth did not speak loudly enough. Successful new digital products did not speak loudly enough.

Regardless, she has decided not to accept an honorary degree from Brandeis after all this spring, meaning poor Brandeis has now had two cancelations. Unless the students of Wake Forest object, though, she will be giving their commencement address as scheduled.

*Dramatization, may not have happened

In cheerier news, some nice college kids found $40,000 in a couch they had bought at a thrift store. As Upworthy would say, WHAT HAPPENED NEXT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU:

Though Werkhoven, Russo, and Cally Guasti all had things they wanted to do with the cash (pay off student loans, go on “an epic road trip around the United States,” etc.), they noticed that a name was written on one of the envelopes. With the help of a phone book (Werkhoven’s mom helped), they tracked down the couch’s previous owner, a 91-year-old widow who “doesn’t trust banks.” The woman told the kids that she stashed the money in the fold-out over the course of 30 years, only to have her daughter (who didn’t know what the piece of furniture was worth) donate it while she was recovering from back surgery. She also gave them $1,000 to split as a reward, which is more than most people get out of their crappy thrift store couch.

Nine times out of ten, trusting a bank is going to be a safer bet than trusting a poor college kid, but yay! I’m glad this worked out for everybody. Also, it’s an excellent reason to use the phrase, “There’s always money in the Banana Stand.”

photo by Robin Prime

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