Jonah Lehrer Reminds Us of Something Important

Wired magazine announces that it, too, is ending its relationship with science writer Jonah Lehrer, who has been undergoing a public humiliation as his New Yorker and other writing gigs have been found to be rife with re-used or even made-up information.

The final paragraph of Huffington Post's article is significant, because it points out the importance of the often-underappreciated work of editing and review. It quotes a media scholar:

Lehrer's transgressions are inexcusable—but I can't help but think that the industry he (and I) work for share some of the blame for his failure. I'm 10 years older than Lehrer, and unlike him, my contemporaries and I had all of our work scrutinized by layers upon layers of editors, top editors, copy editors, fact checkers and even (heaven help us!) subeditors before a single word got published

It's worth noting that Newsweek magazine was publicly shamed when its recent cover story on the election was found to be rife with errors and it admitted that it does not fact check its articles. The magazine even offered the lame excuse that the writer, conservative Niall Ferguson, was writing opinion, as if that means they're not responsible for determining if the charges – presented as fact – in his opinion piece are truth, errors, or lies.

Editing still matters. Editorial review, research, argument, and contemplation still matter. Speed and opinion should not be the highest goals for media.

Trends: Does Every Magazine Really Need Nude Models on Its Cover?

What can you say about an era in publishing when you find more clothing on the cover of Playboy's model than on the cover of Rolling Stone or ESPN Magazine?

We can maybe trace this back to Demi Moore and Vanity Fair and blame it on them. Moore has appeared – as our Brit friends would say – starkers on Vanity Fair's cover more than once, though her most famous appearance showed her extremely pregnant and extremely unclothed. That cover has been copied and parodied countless times since then (just do a Google Images search on "vanity fair" and "demi moore" and you'll see). But it also seemed to have settled the matter in the minds of mainstream publishers' heads that putting a totally naked person on the cover of a magazine that doesn't normally feature totally naked people will boost sales.

And I'm sure it does.

I'm not a spring chicken. I know that sex sells. I'm not even slapping their wrists for it. I'm just amused, albeit a bit bemused.

 

 

Why Are All the Journalists on Twitter Today?

Generally, the top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter are overwhelmingly ridiculous things that are either stupid viral phrases to let people say what they hate or like about something, or they are obvious marketing ploys to get people to spread the word about some worthless product or service.

But right now, three of the top 10 are all related to the news (see item) about Nielsen closing Editor & Publisher magazine and its sister title Kirkus Reviews: "Editor & Publisher," "E&P," and "Kirkus Reviews" are all on the list. Now, those are all things that the average American -- much less the average Twitter user -- has never heard of.

There are trillions of people on Twitter these days. So how did these three topics happen to get so popular on the service this morning? Have so many editors and publishers and writers been laid off that they have nothing to do but tweet day-in, day-out, and they've finally formed a critical mass on Twitter?

Nielsen Cancels Editor & Publisher Magazine

Wow. Nielsen Business Media is reporting that it is putting an end to the venerable industry publication Editor & Publisher. This magazine served the journalism industry for more than a century.

The change comes as Nielsen also sells eight of its brands to e5 Global Media Holdings, a company formed by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners. Nielsen will be unloading Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, The Clio Awards, Backstage, Billboard, Film Journal International and The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen says that e5 will also acquire its Film Expo business (the trade shows ShoWest, ShowEast, Cinema Expo International and CineAsia).

Publisher-Be-Gone

Tauntaun Press has eliminated the position of publisher in its magazines, according to a report in Folio:. That might sound like a drastic move, but if you read the entire article, you see that there's been a lot of re-titling and duty distribution at the company.

The fact is, titles are kind of science fiction in the publishing industry. They mean what one wants them to mean. For example, at some magazines, the managing editor is the person who assigns and rides shotgun on each issue of the magazine, under the guidance of a far-away editor-in-chief who's mostly out meeting with advertisers and journalists. At other magazines, the managing editor is largely a production person nursing along each issue. At still others, the managing editor is basically the sole content editor.

In some places, the publisher is negotiating printing contracts and helping set the tone of the magazine. At others, the publisher is basically the ad sales director.

A title means what an employee and employer agree that it means. (I'm an editorial director, with duties that in many places mix editor-in-chief and publisher roles. So what?)