Former RD editor says seeking out freelancer contributions is not a new initiative

Peter Stockland, the former editor-in-chief of Reader's Digest Canada, sent a comment in response to a recent post about RD actively soliciting contributions from a wider range of freelancers. While I put the comment up, I am also quoting his response here.

No to take anything away from Derek [Webster, managing editor] and Carmine [Starnino, assigning editor], who I know are doing a great job, D.B., but in 2005/6 senior editors Mary Aikins, Bonnie Munday and I met face-to-face with writers individually and in groups in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa to tell them why they should write for RD. Among the top notch writers we attracted to RD were Anne Mullins, Tom Hawthorne, Alisa Smith, Dave Bidini, John Lorinc, Doug Todd, Bill Richardson, John Gradon and a host of others. You may not realize at that time we were producing 90 per cent original Canadian content to fill the pages of the magazine, and it took a lot of great writers to provide the material we needed. Just want to set the record straight.
-- Peter Stockland, former editor-in-chief, Readers Digest Magazines Canada Ltd.