IOSH members receive many benefits from their annual subscription, key among which is receiving a copy of SHP every month. But it’s clear the relationship between the Institution and SHP’s publisher, CMP Information (CMPi), is much misunderstood.
Interface, and the editorial team at CMPi, have, from time to time, received letters from IOSH members questioning the nature of the relationship, stating that “if it’s ‘our’ magazine, why can’t we insist on having certain things published or not published?”
SHP has been the official magazine of IOSH since it was first launched in 1982. The only section of the magazine to which IOSH contributes directly is Interface. Every other part of the publication is professionally and independently written, under the guidance of editor Godric Jolliffe and deputy editor Martina Weadick, with production and management by one of the biggest trade publishing houses in the UK. IOSH and CMPi management meet regularly to ensure that these high standards are maintained and that members receive value for money.
Director of communications at IOSH, Ruth Doyle, explains: “Members benefit significantly from this relationship in a number of ways. Highly trained, professional journalists write and research the stories the magazine covers every month — so readers can be certain of the highest editorial standards and a truly independent, challenging view of the health and safety world.
“SHP also has a top advertising sales team, which benefits members doubly — by offering the biggest selection of jobs on the market every month, and by sharing profit from advertising revenue with IOSH. This income is then ploughed straight back into services for members, and ultimately helps keep subs lower than many other professional bodies.”
SHP publisher, Lucie Burgess, commented: “The CMPi team works closely with IOSH to ensure we deliver the right balance of news, legislation updates, educational features and career advice each month.”
According to Paul Reeve, a Fellow of IOSH and a previous editor of SHP: “Members can be assured that their comments are carefully considered by the SHP management board. In addition, the active link with IOSH means that the SHP team really does know its customer base. But editorial independence is a real plus — it’s crucial to the credibility of the title and increases the impact with our key audiences.”
Without its editorial independence, SHP would be a very different publication and one that would be much less respected — in short, it wouldn’t be the UK’s leading health and safety magazine.
