my 2c on this
- i used to like speed, not so much because of the magazine itself, but because it reminded editors of other mags that there was some competition in the market. when speed went away, we lost a lot more than just another news outlet.
- hpi is no longer worth it, to my mind. the sections i enjoy most are the project buildups, the diy, the tech letters bits and lastly the car writeups: mostly, i liked it best when the editors and authors went to town with their own knowledge.
- the 'product reviews' make me feel a bit of a dunce. in every case i've seen, they're not just shallow ads, it's obvious that the content is also written and supplied by the workshop themselves. uh, ok.
- i do not believe that product reviews must necessarily involve bias. it isn't the nature of the beast at all. have a flick through a music mag like Q or mojo and check the number of one and two star reviews. they have a huge readership because people know the mag can be trusted. the same goes for music and restaurant reviews: every now and then you have to provide a negative review to keep the readers thinking you're honest. so in the end, that comes down to...
- who do the editors want to satisfy? sorry, but there is no way i'd be advertising my own workshop in my own mag. i want my readers to see me as reliable and impartial. if the consumer stops buying the mag, the workshops won't be interested at all.