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[quote user="henry6"] I have not read the July Trains having just recieved it this afternoon.  However I did go through it and noted the names on the article mentioned above and have to take exception to the accusation that what is contained in Trains is not real railroading.  Those writers of these articles in question are not fan writers but business writers and write for a whole group of other publications other than Trains or Kalmbach Publishing.  Their credentials are excellent and their expertise widely sought.  They have all had journalism experiences as well as railroad business exposure unlike any of us...well most of us. Certainly I would pay more attention to what they say about railroading than a writer or poster like me.  Plus you have to consider the reputation and stature of Kalmbach and Trains on top of that.  Wikopedia and Facebook and the like cannot match the professional journalistic efforts like that. [/quote]   Magazine publishers select the writers who produce the articles that appear in their publications.  Frequently the writers are asked to address a theme.  The publishers edit the articles and pay the writers.  Thus, they have a significant say in what is published in their publication(s).  There is not such thing as objective reporting.  It is relative and, therefore, bespeaks of the need to read widely from many sources, including those at variance with your favorite publication(s), to get as broad and objective a view as possible.  This is especially true for publications that are geared to fan and interest groups. Few professional journalists blatantly distort their findings.  But they filter them through their perspectives, which will be influenced by their life experiences, as well as the organization that selected them and is paying them. I don't mean to suggest that Trains or any other publication would knowingly skew the facts regarding high speed rail, for example, but I doubt that the editors would hire a "Mr. O'Toole" to write an article for Trains.  The most objective assessment of the high speed rail projects that I have seen is a March 2009 audit report issued by the Government Accounting Office (GAO).  It does not have a dog in the hunt, which a Texas way of saying that it does not have a vested interest in the outcomes of its findings.  It is known amongst auditors and many laypersons as one of the most objective reporting organizations in the United States if indeed not the world. I subscribed to Trains for more than 25 years.  Now I buy only those issues, as well as PDF files, that contain subjects that interest me.  If an issue contains more than one article that interests me, I buy the magazine at the news stand.  I buy approximately four issues a year; I will probably buy the July issue.  But I will compare the findings in any high speed rail article(s) against the GAO's findings as well as any independent audits of these projects. I have told Trains that I would be willing to buy on-line and download the articles that interest me.  I prefer this approach to buying a magazine with only one article of interest.  Trains could wait a month or two to make the articles available on line so as not to unduly harm news stand and subscription sales.  Unfortunately, the editors have not bought into my desire.  But they will.  The day of print journalism is coming to an end.  This 70 year old sees it with crystal clarity.
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