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Re: [GWL]: catchwords or reality?

There are at least two factors that we all face as consumers and 
disseminators of information - "spin" and "market promotion".

There are many choices of words we can use - some with negative, 
neutral, and positive associations. The Public Relations Spokespersons 
of politicians and businesses are skilled in the use of such terms, 
especially the negative and positive associated words. Of course their 
logic is also suspect much of the time. Using unrelated facts to arrive 
at faulty conclusions is not truthful even if the person believes what 
they are saying is true. Telling only one side of a store is not 
balanced, objective writing.

The people who publish magazines and produce TV/movies can have an 
agenda, but they must first be profitable if they plan on remaining in 
business.

The downturn in our economic conditions will force people and businesses 
to prioritize their expenditures of time, energy, and hard cash.

How frequently have we seen the people who are successful in starting a 
business fail to have the skills to sustain the growth of their business?

How many people accumulate assets of a life long hobby or family run 
business only to discover that their children lack the interest, skills, 
or personalities to continue to preserve and expand the activities of 
their parents? Family farms are sold, impressive collections of plants 
are allowed to die, and a wealth of information gathered by dedicated 
plant collectors is hauled off to the dump.

If well educated people can fall into these traps, is it no wonder that 
people who claim to be business managers have also made bad decisions 
that can cause a good idea or product to be unprofitable, sometimes 
causing entire business ventures to fail.

What skills would a reporter need to investigate, analyze, and develop 
an article on a suspect business in the horticultural industry?

Understanding business economics, reading a profit and lost statement, 
marketing forces of various supply and demand factors, international 
trade, importation/exportation regulations, value of the dollar, and of 
course specific horticultural expertise among many other areas would be 
important assets to the writer.

Would an editor of a newspaper or magazine depend on a staff writer or 
might they turn to a member of the GWAA?

What would the legal position be for an independent writer concerning 
the number of creditable sources? Would an independent writer have 
protection against revealing their sources? Would they need to carry 
additional insurance to protect them against lawsuits?

Attempting to reinvent the magazine Organic Gardening is one of those 
interesting decisions - why not launch a separate publication to see if 
the concept flies and maintain a publication with a proven if not 
expanding readership? Kind of reminds me of the people at Coke who were 
convinced they had to reinvent the taste only to discover their market 
research and focus groups did not mirror the buying public. Anyone 
purchase an the Edsel?

Will there be books written by insiders or garden writers about the 
collapse of F&G and its filing for bankruptcy?  Will a movie follow? 
Lets do lunch and discuss a TV series.

Claude Sweet
San Diego, CA

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