In a WSJ article on Hearst’s new e-magazine initiative, we gain a valuable lesson about the importance of editors:
Skiff would give publishers an alternative to Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle store, which currently dominates the burgeoning field of digital reading. Through Skiff, Hearst said consumers will be able to buy digital publications that have better graphics and look more like their print counterparts, including the inclusion of advertising, than versions offered elsewhere.
“including the inclusion”? Really?
In case they do get around to fixing that ugly-ass prose, here’s a pic by which to remember it:
Oh, and later in the article, we get a clue as to why this new platform will fail:
“The platforms and devices that other people are building are not really appropriate for newspapers and magazines,” said Kenneth A. Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media. “We are going to create an entity by publishers, for publishers.”
Remember, folks: it’s by publishers, for publishers. Not readers.