#ryan katz

[manningpeyton]

My picture of Peyton during the national anthem on August 17th 2013.

[kaorious]

WWE's PPV Elimination Chamber recap!!

[deepfriedtwinkie]

This is the funniest frigging thing I've seen today. Watch it. Or else 4/5 of the guys in this video might just break your thumbs off, while Shay Carl stands behind them going, "I'm really sorry about them. They're not usually like this." XD

[rompreroom-blog]

Searching for 'Alternatives'

A friend of mine and fellow blogger, Ryan Katz has been engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the editors of Alternatives magazine about their series of collaborative advertorials with Suncor, a mining giant involved in oil sands exploration in Alberta.

In a recent issue, the editors of Alternatives explained that:

Our goal is to engage readers in thoughtful dialogue about issues that matter. This Q&A with a vice president of Suncor Energy Inc. is a continuation of a year-long series of advertorials in which Suncor Energy is explaining its position with regard to the tar sands and energy policy in Canada, and hoping to better understand yours.

Read the entire exchange at The Organic Intellectual, to get a sense of just how far Alternatives bends over to justify the academic and journalistic integrity of this project (Peer-reviewed advertorials? Really?).

Unfortunately, this isn't a isolated problem. The LA Times, People Magazine, and AOL have all recently been accused of having a porous wall between news and advertising. It's hard to blame them. Traditional publishers, particularly small magazines and local newspapers, have been watching the ground crumble around them in the last five or six years, and are scrambling to find some solid footing.

However, I think that blurring the line between content and advertising is a fundamental mistake; one that comes from being attached to form more than content. The decision of Alternatives to start collaborating with companies on advertorial content shows that they see themselves as a magazine first, a voice of Canadian environmentalism second. If the primary goal is to get the next issue out, the decision is a no brainer - the income from the advertorial brings in additional cash flow and provides content at little or no cost.

But if the goal is to forge an identity as a unique and indispensable voice on environmental issues in Canada, then it's hard to see how advertorials can be part of a long-term survival strategy. Even if the advertorial content was factually correct, there's almost no chance that it would be interesting. At a time when readers have greater choice than ever before, publishers need to fight for them with better content, not worse. The reason the New Yorker continues to do well isn't because they're a magazine - its because they have an unflinching dedication to maintaining the quality and distinctive voice of their publication. It's not surprising that they just announced an aggressively priced digital subscription for the iPad. Readers of today's print or digital editions were treated to a superbly written editorial by David Remnick on the death of Osama Bin Laden.

In the end, the dynamics that traditionally fed newspapers and magazines have changed. The business model, and even the basic form of newspapers and magazines must also change. It is good content that never gets old.