From next week, we will be outsourcing the production, technical support and promotion of Pearls & Irritations.
This outsourcing will be with Michael West Media.
In this contracting out of the ‘back office’, the editorial independence of Pearls & Irritations will be strictly maintained. I will continue as editor. There will be no paywall and no advertising.
We will be seeking modest financial contributions from our readers.
There are several reasons for this outsourcing.
The first, is to ease Susie’s and my workload and make it easier for guest editors to help the building of Pearls & Irritations.
The second, is technical support. This has been provided on a probono basis for seven years. As Pearls & Irritations has grown, this is no longer practicable.
The third is that Pearls & Irritations needs better promotion through twitter, facebook and search engine optimisation. Many readers have told us that we should be reaching a wider audience. We agree. ‘Promotion’ to date has been by word-of-mouth only.
For seven years, Susie and I have not employed staff . We rely on the support and good will of outstanding contributors and volunteers who have not been paid.
In a survey of our readers late last year, they made clear how much they valued Pearls & Irritations and wished it to continue and strengthen the voice of independent media in Australia. That is our intention.
To fund this outsourcing, we will conduct a modest fundraising campaign on the website from next week. We look forward to your continuing support.
John Menadue is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Pearls and Irritations. He was formerly Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.
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