Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 144 Document Number: C22545
Notes:
Published in a column, "The Final Word," from Food Routes Network, Millheim, Pennsylvania. Issue 45. 2 pages., Author reports on consolidation of farm periodicals, with resulting cutbacks in editorial staffing and in local coverage. Describes financial pressures that lead to more use of free-lance writers that often write for ag publications and ag public relations agencies simultaneously. "But the divided loyalties often yield stories that resemble corporate press releases more than journalism." Cites an example from his experience as a free-lance writer.
Reports that focus group research among farm readers shows they want information that is not a commercial on the editorial pages they read. "Isn't it strange? The very credibility these folks crave is the first thing to disappear when publishers agree to relax their standards."
