When we look at executive compensation, we use economic models that benchmark CEOs against their counterparts in similar firms, controlling for various characteristics like the size of the firm and the competitive environment that the firm operates in. With this information, we then try to estimate who is getting overpaid or underpaid, which firms have governance problems or issues related to stock options, and so forth. The press might use some of the same models to try and place compensation packages in context, or they may focus instead on producing stories people will find interesting. That might include writing about a person everyone has heard of, even if he or she is not necessarily overpaid.
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