“Bad Blood” author Carreyrou leaves WSJ over paid speaking ban

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, the author of the well-received “Bad Blood” and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, has left the paper because of its ban on paid speaking engagements, reports Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast.

Cartwright reports, “Carreyrou said part of the reason he’s leaving the paper after 20 years is because of the Journal’s policy against paid speaking engagements.

“‘The Journal has a pretty blanket ban on its reporters taking money to speak publicly. If I were to do that or my colleagues do that it compromises the Journal. I respect the reasons for their policy but for me it meant leaving quite a bit of money on the table. I’m in pretty high demand due to the success of the book. I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me.’

“Paid speaking engagements are highly lucrative, with some journalists earning five-figure sums to give a speech to a company or organization.

“The Journal said in a statement the policy exists to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest: ‘The Journal has a deep commitment to the highest standards and ethics, including our guidelines around paid speaking engagements, because nothing is more important than the independence of our journalism. We never want our journalists to be in situations where those standards can be questioned, and neither do our readers.’

“Carreyrou said just because he’s done with the Journal doesn’t mean he’s done with journalism.”

Read more here.