Friday 19 July 2013

The Ed.




If you had a different point of view at your place of work from that of your private life I’m guessing you wouldn’t want your employers knowing that. If your views were consistent, wouldn’t you hope your employer at least shared similar views? Would you be worried about your employers reading your views?
I would like to think that an employer would encourage employees to have views and express them. At least that way they would quickly find out who held potentially morally objectionable opinions and could either educate them or get rid of them.

What if you were the editor of a magazine read by hundreds and you wanted your views kept separate from any association with that mag? Is that possible? Secretly perhaps, under a pseudonym maybe? What if everyone knew who you were anyway, why would try to distance yourself from that magazine while at the same time spruiking it? 

Presumably as an editor you’d be responsible for the content of that magazine; your name is in the liner notes along with your e-mail address. Your mag also promotes itself on social networks. Social networks don’t conform to hours of work, they’re open nonstop for business, and users know you are that editor. Is it unreasonable to assume they will associate you with the content of that mag and also assume that your views are represented by the content of that mag?

I know not the first thing about editing a magazine but I’m pretty sure I’d be proud of the fact that I had achieved that position. I’d like to think I’d be proud of the content of my mag and that my personality and points of view were reflected in that magazine and that hopefully people liked those and bought it; and surely if people bought it your employer would be happy? I’d put my name to it and encourage everyone to buy it, and those that didn’t like it I would listen to, I’d try to be polite and I’d try not to belittle anyone (ever). I’m sure I’d get frustrated but I’d like to think I’d take a deep breath and let my mag speak for me.


Unless of course my hands were tied behind my back by advertisers.



Old woman Island (Mudjimba)