Consumer Reports, the non-profit advocacy magazine owned by the Consumers Union, may fire 21 editors and product reviewers if its writer’s union does not agree to sacrifice raises. According to the New York Post, other employees have already agreed to cuts.
The magazine does not take advertising because it wants to appear independent when it reviews products and services. It is time for the magazine to reverse that policy, if it wants to continue to provide full services to its readers. Taking advertising does not mean catering to advertisers.
A subscription to Consumer Reports cost $26 a year. Subscribers can read reviews in which the magazine’s editors trash Starbucks (SBUX) coffee and criticize Ford (F) cars and trucks for that modest annual fee. A cut in the editorial staff at Consumer Reports would certainly hurt the quality of the testing by the Consumers Union research staff and as a result the quality of the magazine will suffer. The reader’s $26 will be going for a degraded product.
Consumer Reports won’t be Consumer Reports any more unless it comes up with new ways to bring in revenue.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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