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Nailing down editorial integrity
comments (0) March 25th, 2008 in Blogs
Kevin Ireton, editor-at-large
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Recently somebody stopped me in the
hall and told me that one of our advertisers, Maze Nails, is celebrating
its 160th year in business. That any company has been in business so long
is remarkable, but that a building-products company, making something as
prosaic as nails, should survive for 160 years is extraordinary.
Maze’s anniversary was called to my attention because the company has
advertised its products in Fine Homebuilding for years. And since Maze is a loyal, longtime customer of ours, wouldn’t it be
nice to wish the company a happy anniversary in the magazine or, at the very
least, on our Web site? “Great idea,” I said. “Let me think about what’s
appropriate.”
I walked away thinking that I could put a little note at the front of the
“Letters” column or maybe ask Chris Ermides to write something about Maze Nails in “Cross
Section.” I asked Chris to come into my office and invited him to sit down. I
told him that Maze Nails was celebrating its 160th year in business and
suggested he write about it.
“Is this a test?” Chris doesn’t trust me for some reason.
“No, it’s not a test.”
“So why would I write about Maze Nails?”
“They’ve been in business for 160 years,” I said. “That’s amazing.”
“Maybe, but it’s not useful information.”
“Yeah, but it’s interesting.”
“Maybe. How many other building-product companies have been in business for 160
years?” Chris asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Are there any building-product companies that have been in business longer?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did we publish anything in the magazine when Maze celebrated its 150th
anniversary?” Chris was really enjoying himself.
“No.”
“So why would I write about them?”
“Well, they’re a loyal customer of ours.”
He knew he had me now. “You want me to write about Maze because they advertise
in Fine Homebuilding? Doesn’t
that violate everything we stand for? Aren’t we supposed to decide what’s in
the best interest of our readers and publish that? Not publish something because
it will please an advertiser—isn’t that what other magazines do?”
“Okay,” I said, “You passed the test. Thanks.” Chris left, still suspicious
about what had just happened. The truth is that I wasn’t testing him. But I was
testing the idea, and the idea failed miserably.
When Paul Roman founded The
Taunton Press, he decided to produce magazines that were funded chiefly by
the readers, not by the advertisers. He figured it was safer to be dependent on
a little money from a lot of readers than on a lot of money from a few
advertisers. So at Fine Homebuilding we have always adhered firmly to the dictum “The reader comes first.” We find
our way by asking what’s in the best interest of our readers. And in turn, this
editorial integrity has gotten us a loyal following among the best builders in
the country and has created a valuable place for companies to advertise their
products.
Yes, Maze Nails is a customer of ours, and I appreciate its business very much,
especially in these difficult economic times. I also genuinely congratulate
Maze on 160 years in business. But as the editor of Fine
Homebuilding, I know that the most valuable thing I do
for any company that advertises with us is to protect the integrity of the
magazine. I need to keep great builders reading Fine
Homebuilding, and trusting what they read, so that it
remains a valuable place to advertise.
Now, as to the question of writing about an advertiser here in this blog, I’ve
decided that the same standard applies. I decide what to write about here, no
one else, and I do so based on what I think might prove of interest or value to
my readers. And in this case, I thought both of them might be interested in our
debate over what belongs in the magazine and why.
posted in: Blogs
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About this blog
As the editor of Fine Homebuilding, I spend my weekdays trying to produce a magazine that will satisfy 300,000 of the most demanding builders, both professional and amateur. As the owner of a 200-year old Cape in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, I spend weekends working on my house.
Each activity invariably informs, and complicates, the other. In this blog, I’ll offer observations from both worlds -- publishing and building -- with the hope of providing some useful or at least entertaining insights.
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