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.”
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.”
Most Recent News Comment
![]() |
|
Jaded says: | |
Wow, Torstar really seems to be on a mission to bankrupt one magazine after another.... |
Most Recent Blog Comment
![]() |
|
Lorene Shyba says: | |
Full of terrific information, Thanks!... |
Most Read Stories
Special Reports
So, its a business decision, is it? As I've said many times, you can't build your business by making sure your customers don't have any money. We are not going to save ourselves out of this mess, no matter how hard the guys in the boardroom try. Maybe the problem is that RD's time has come and gone, or at least going.
"Goyette says he hopes most of the affected staff will stay on with the company as freelancers."
The how and the why doesn't matter. My heart aches for the people and their families, especially at this time of year.
It could well be that RD's time has come and gone.
Whatever one may think of the reasoning from Reader's Digest, an economy that has crashed doesn't get back on its feet by putting things back where they were, and it doesn't become wealthy again by keeping old patterns of employment. A real recovery requires many people to *change* jobs, into a better economic configuration. And neither the corporations nor the state no what and where those jobs really should be; that's something that a market has to discover.
Are they aware or do they even care?