This month’s cover story centres upon a significant issue in the caravan industry. I’ll let you read that story and make your mind up as to whether we should or should not have published it. But when you make your mind up, consider this.
As a publisher, we are servants of our readers. If we publish a magazine that lacks integrity, lacks guts, and lacks honesty, then you probably won’t bother to read the next edition. It’s a simple transaction really. We publish interesting and informative articles that make a difference to your life, and you continue reading the next edition.
So how do we make a buck and continue to afford to publish a free magazine? The more people that read our magazine, the better it is for those who advertise within our pages. Pretty simple really. And it seems to work, as more than 150,000 unique readers scroll through this magazine every month. RV Daily remains the most read caravan magazine in Australia.
Yet historically, it has been rare to see a controversial or investigative story in a caravan magazine. Unfortunately, many readers’ gut feelings have been correct. ‘Cash for comment’ has been an issue over the years. Yet we consider ourselves rather different from other publishers. You see, we think it’s important for our readers to know what is going on.
We think they should know that an ‘Of The Year Award’ is not necessarily made up of the best products on the market – merely the ones most willing to spend the money to qualify. And we think it’s important for readers to know if judging criteria has been modified or tweaked to suit a certain outcome. Why? Because the more honest the media is, the more the manufacturers are held to account.
Ultimately, the cream rises to the top. Companies tend to listen that little harder to a problem that’s in the public sphere, and consumers get a better product. And of course we get a stronger industry. Because that is, after all, our main game – to build a better industry.
We believe caravan and motorhome travel is a glorious pursuit, which should be celebrated. Sure, there will be those who will argue that we’re vilifying another publisher. Believe me, that’s not the case. If we ever err in our judgement, I wouldn’t judge them for writing about us. It’s the media’s job to publish the facts, however unpalatable they may seem at the time.
Enjoy the edition.
Sincerely,
Pat Callinan
Publisher