Kris Maenz
Reinventing the Journal & Survey Sez...
Reinventing the Journal
Welcome to the 1995 Earth First! Journal readers poll. This poll was compiled by the Earth First! Journal staff with the help of Preserve Appalachian Wilderness in order to find out the current demographics of the EF!J readership and to find out what readers like and dislike about the Journal. Please take the time to answer the questions below. Taking part in this effort will allow the Journal staff to better address the desires of the Earth First! movement and will provide a clearer picture of Earth Firstlers to the public at large. Thank you for your assistance.
Please circle the choices that you feel best represent yourself. All responses will remain anonymous.
Generic Demographics
1) Gender
b) female
2) Age
b) 10–15
c) 16–20
d) 21–30
e) 31–40
f) 41–50
g) 51 or elder
3) What type of human habitat do you inhabit?
b) suburbia
c) rural/farming community
d) “I live in the woods, man.”
e) your neighborhood bar
f) other _________________________
4a) Do you have many children?
b) No
4b) If yes, how many? ______
5) Highest level of industrial education achieved:
b) High School
c) Some College
d) College Graduate
e) Graduate/Professional School
f) Ph.D.
g) Self Enlightened
6) Annual Income
b) Much less than $10,000
c) $ll,000-$20,000
d) $21,000-$40,000
e) Over $40,000 a year
(Donations are accepted and appreciated.)
Environmentalisms
7) Are you active with a local EF! group?
b) No
8) Have you ever been to an environmental action of any kind?
b) No
9) Have you ever been arrested during an environmental action and are you willing to do it again?
b) No
Comments: _____________
10) Do you belong to any other environmental groups?
(Circle all that apply.)
b) Sierra Club
c) National Audubon Society
d) The Wilderness Society
e) National Wildlife Federation
f) Other (please list)
______________
11) What other conservation/ environmental periodicals do you read besides the Earth First! Journal?
(Circle all that apply.)
b) Inner Voice
c) Wild Earth
d) E Magazine
e) Wild Rockies Review
f) LWOD
g) Forest Voice
h) Sierra
i) Talking Leaves
j) Other (please list)
__________
EF! Journalism
12) How would you rate the current EF! Journal staff?
b) Good (I could do better.)
c) Poor (My dog could do better.)
d) Abysmal, Out of Control (Take ‘em out and shoot ‘em.)
e) Underpaid/Overworked
(Donations are accepted and appreciated.)
13) What material do you like most to see in the Journal?
(circle all that apply)
b) Eco-Political Analysis
c) Eco-Philosophy
d) Investigative Reporting
e) Artsy Fartsy Poetry/Graphics
f) Monkeywrenching Tips
g) Backbiting Letters and Infighting (be honest, you know you like ‘em)
14) What material do you like least in the Journal?
__________
15) Which material do you read first?
__________
16) What would you like to see more of in the Journal?
__________
17) What are your favorite sections in the paper in order of favoritism?
Pagan blurb (page 2)
OPED (page 3)
Letters to the Editors (SFB)
Regional Roundup
Global News
Armed with Visions (poetry) Announcements
Ned Ludd/Earth Night
___________
18) Speaking of Ned Ludd, do you think the tactics suggested are reasonable? Do they go to far? Not far enough?
__________
19) Do you think the content of the EF! Journal is:
b) too open (Hey, I like cows!)
c) Just right (Everyone has the right to their own opinion about cows.)
Comments:
__________
20) Do you think the content of the EF! Journal is (circle all that apply):
b) too unclear (What are you talking about? How about some background?)
c) Just right (Everyone knows what ESA, BLM, USFWS and NREPA stands for!)
d) depressing (There is no hope.)
e) empowering (There is hope but not for us.)
Comments:
__________
21) The Journal staff is considering changing the newspaper format of the Journal to a magazine format to boost circulation. Some large distributors will not handle newsprint. Do you think the Journal should switch to a magazine format?
b) No
Comments:
____________
22a) Are you a subscriber to the Earth First! Journal?
b) No W?
22b) If no, why not?
____________
23) Please use the space below to provide any comments and attach an additional sheet (recycled paper, of course) if you need more space. Remember, essay answers are worth extra credit.
Survey Sez ...
The results of last issue’s “Reinventing the Journal” survey are in. It seems we are a mostly overeducated group of highly opinionated cow haters. We have included some of the quotes from the responses below.
Demographics
Seventy-six responses (just over three and one-third percent of the Journal’s subscribers) were diligently and patiently tabulated by this Journal lackey . Fifty-one of the respondents are male and 25 female. The majority of respondents are 31–40 years old. A surprising 14% are over 51 and only 5% are 16–20.
We live in all sorts of habitats, with the majority settled in the urban jungle. One respondent lives on a boat and another in jail.
Just over half of the poll respondents have earned a bachelors degree or higher and make over $11,000 a year. Eight percent have a Ph.D., and over 6% earn an annual income over $40,000. (Dang, what I could do with that kinda money.)
We are not big breeders; only 15 of the respondents have children.
Environmentalism
Boy oh boy do we read. Almost every respondent receives at least three periodicals besides the EF! Journal, the most overlap being with Wild Earth, “Well, I look at the pictures in it” and Sierra. Many people are members of other groups: 25% belong to the Sierra Club, 15% to Sea Shepherd, and 29% to local grassroots organizations. Thirteen percent rightly believe that all corporate environmentalism sucks, and five people have recently canceled their memberships to Audubon and the Sierra Club.
Impressively, 78% of the respondents have been to an environmental action but only 25% belong to a local Earth First! group. A large number noted that no EF! group exists in their area. Seventy percent have never been arrested at a demonstration, while 31% are willing when the time and circumstances dictate its necessity. Twelve percent say they will lose their jobs if they are arrested, and eight percent boldly said, “never again.”
Journalism
To all you would-be editors out there: Remember, the Journal staff are primarily editors, not writers. They edit articles that other people submit. So to all you people with the great ideas for articles—write ‘em.
Most everyone agrees the Journal staff is doing excellent work: “Ya’ll do such a great job.” Only one person believed their dog could do better, and no one thought the staff was performing abysmally. Forty percent understand the staff is underpaid and overworked.
We are an easy bunch to please, with 20% liking absolutely everything in the Journal. The favored articles are those covering actions, eco-political analysis, investigative reporting and, yes, monkeywrenching tips. Twenty- one percent admitted backbiting and infighting entertained them, while 13% say it is their least favorite part of the Journal. A smattering disliked the bad language and others dislike rambling self-congratulatory articles: “more debate and less posturing.”
On to monkeywrenching: 54% believe that NedLuddis very reasonable with his suggestions: “We wouldn’t want to publish every trick we think of, now would we?” Twenty-four feel it does not help them enough. Two people raised serious concerns about the efficiency and safety of some of the suggestions.
Finally we get to the heated cow/content question. Although most readers agree that the content of the Journal is just right: “I hate cows and respect the right of everyone else to hate them too.” Nine percent feel the content is too restrictive, and 5% feel it’s too open, “I think cows are terrible in all respects but I eat an occasional meal from the range.”
A quarter of the respondents think the Journal is too insidy while 46% agree that its just right. Almost everyone agrees that the articles are both depressing and empowering. Thirteen of us are confused: “What’s a Freddy?”
Summary
Everyone at the Journal was surprised and flattered at the overwhelmingly positive response to the survey, “I like it all—it’s my bible.” I was shocked at how many people opened up and wrote long and personal answers to the questions. One was even beautifully decorated with stickers and colored pens. There are an awful lot of isolated readers out there who are getting much of their strength from the Journal and the articles you submit. People want to read more about monkeywrenching, eco-philosophy and eco-politics. They want to know how to fight the corporate beast, who to write, and how to get involved. Readers crave more photographs, artwork, facts, biographies, inspiration and “beer ads?” They want less New Age, shorter letters to the editors, less Politically Correct bull, and they want the paper to stay in newspaper form.
Thanks to everyone who responded. You’ve given this wandering activist an entertaining look at the readership of the Journal. The staff takes this survey quite seriously and will continue listening to its readers, so keep sending in your suggestions and submitting articles [ed. note: with photos or graphics]. And never forget, as one reader summed it up, “conformity sucks.”
Just a few housekeeping items:
Rod Coronado’s sentencing date has been moved to July 27. For more information contact the Rod Coronado Support Committee at 2530 Berryessa Rd. #820, San Jose, CA 95132, (602) 795–2527.
The Journal is in need of another PC (386 or better?), a scanner, plane tickets to New Zealand, and, of course, other donations as well.
—Kris Maenz