Re: [Paddlewise] SK is OK was Magazine recommendations

Tomckayak_at_aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 12/2/99 9:57:18 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> jmyers_at_longbranch.k12.nj.us writes:
> 
> << The early years of Sea Kayaker were probably its best but I think this has
>  more to do with the nature of sea kayaking than the current editorship of
>  SK. >>
> 
>  The thing that made Sea Kayaker special were the safety articles. It was the
> main reason I collected back issues. I have an almost complete collection of
> the first ten years. Remember they use to be a quarterly.
> 
> To this day no other sports magazine documents deaths/injures in their sport.
> >From people that worked at SK I know that the Editor is under pressure to
> down play the accident reports.

Advertising is a mixed blessing.  While it helps sustain a publication,
it can also hinder its articles and editorial content.  I can't tell you
how often I have been approached to have ads (other than the free
classifieds) placed in my newsletter.  While it would be a nice chunk of
change, I just don't want to be in a position where saying something
that reflects negatively on say Feathercraft (as an example) might lead
to the company yanking ads that I might grew dependent on.  I am not
pretending to be holier than thou.  I am careful in what I publish.  For
example, I know of planned new model introductions before they come out,
new materials, etc. and, if told in confidence, I keep that confidence. 
However, if there is something wrong with a boat or some gear, I will
say so.  I think that an editor has to be "the reader's friend." 
Usually in publishing terms the phrase means clear writing and
presentation that answers all the questions a reader is likely to raise
on a topic.  But, by extension, I also feel the phrase means that the
editor/publisher has to do all he/she can to see that the readers gets
to know all they should, and need to, know about key issues and topics.

It is something I learned years ago when working for a company that
produced research publications and newsletters on international
business.  We had hundreds of multinational companies that paid big
bucks for our services.  But there was a thick firewall between the
client service officers and the editorial contents staff (where I
worked).  If something came up that was important information that the
general readership needed to know and a client didn't want us to publish
it on the strength of his clientship, we said goodbye to that client if
he threatened to leave.  This came at a price as it could cost $100K a
pop when that happened.

ralph diaz


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