Canadian Magazine Industry News
1 December 2010,     TORONTO/MONTR�AL
Reader�s Digest cuts full-time fact checking and copy editing staff
Reader’s Digest has abolished all full-time staff positions in the fact checking and copy editing departments of its English title magazines.

The move, which affects seven full-time positions at the company means the fact checking and copy editing will now be contracted out to freelancers, says Reader’s Digest vice president and editor in chief Robert Goyette. “We are shifting to a variable cost model,” he says. “With the old model we had permanent employees which had downtime after the issue closed and then were rushing to get it out in the last few days. Now it will allow us to better adjust the resources. It is based on a cost model which has been proven at other departments in the company, including Our Canada.” Goyette adds Reader’s Digest-published Best Health is also already operating on a variable cost model, with many of its employees being freelance or contract.

Another position has been abolished in the company’s French editorial department. The responsibilities of the senior staff editor, French books will now be shared between other editors at the magazine.

Goyette says he hopes most of the affected staff will stay on with the company as freelancers. “These positions were cut because of a business decision, not performance issues,” he says. “As much as we can we would like to keep these people working with us in some way.”





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