Re: Open Access, journalism, & promoting the academy

["Lisa Dittrich" <lrdittrich@aamc.org>]

Apart from any other pros/cons to OA and IA, I don't think this argument
that journalists will benefit really holds up.

Right now, we promote articles published in our (non-OA) journal, and make
the full-text of the articles available to journalists.  The text is also
available to local media if they want it, and to the author's institution
and its PR dept. if they ask for it.  It is in our interest to promote
articles we publish.  We also direct media contacts both to our journal's
editor and to the first author of articles of interest for interviews.

We recently added an "In the News" button to our Web page to highlight
coverage of our journal in various media.  So, again, we are keenly
interested in getting press coverage.

Our journal, alas, isn't always the most press-worthy, but we are trying!

I know some will bemoan the fact that we make articles free to the press
that we do NOT make free to the average reader.  I won't get into that
wrangle here except to say that we are a small society journal that (1)
gives most of its press run free to members and (2) has operated in the
red for its entire existence.  Two of my goals as managing editor are to
increase readership and to, as much as possible, increase revenue to
offset the association's expenses.

Lisa Dittrich
Managing Editor
Academic Medicine
2450 N Street NW
Washington,D.C. 20037
lrdittrich@aamc.org (e-mail)
202-828-0590 (phone)
202-828-4798 (fax)
Academic Medicine's Web site: www.academicmedicine.org