Lower Editing Standards for Online Magazines

A research project conducted by the Columbia Journalism Review found that many magazines apply lower standards when copy-editing and fact-checking the online versions of their publications.

According to the study, 48% of magazines copy-edit less rigorously for their online publications than their printed publications, while 11% do not copy-edit at all. At the same time, 27% fact-check their online content less rigorously than their print content.

One reason for the lack of rigorous standards is that online editions of popular magazines are provided free of charge -- including, we should note, the Columbia Journalism Review. Only 14% of online publications charge for any or all of their content.

Readers are getting what they pay for, and it's time for a change in this broken business model.