Traffic metrics were also used in performance reviews. By 2012 the newsroom headcount had slipped below 600, and those who remained had been taught the lesson that their contributions to the mission were valued only if they showed up in the stat sheets. The Defense Department budget, for example, was not likely to generate lots of clicks, but it was a vital subject for many Post readers who worked in the industry. Brauchli tried to reassure his newsroom that metrics were not the sole measure of what journalists covered, but he insisted the numbers were instructive and couldn’t be ignored.
