Vice-chancellor salaries have been a topic of media interest and scholarly research for decades. In recent years, however, the media's interest and criticism of vice-chancellors' salaries has escalated, as negativity surrounding university performance and administration has led to a significant increase in articles concerning these matters. This article examines 190 print and online articles from Australian and United Kingdom media, published between 2013-2018. It argues that the common narratives are highly critical, as vice-chancellors' salaries are reported to be increasing while university performance is subsiding, student fees are increasing, staff salaries are increasing minimally, and as University and College Union (UCU) pension strikes occurred, in 2018, in the United Kingdom. As research suggests media narratives influence public discourse, this article highlights the need for greater transparency and understanding of vice-chancellors' roles to improve the (currently media-led) public understanding, which frequently misrepresents vice-chancellors' roles and aligns quality with league table performance.