Standardised reviews or something?

[MidnightMike]

Have a read of these two reviews on Kawasaki's 2008 Z750:

Cars.UK:

http://cars.uk.msn.com/Motorbikes/Bikes.aspx?cp-documentid=7193317

Motorcycle Trader NZ:

http://www.motorcycletrader.co.nz/View/Article/Kawasaki-Z750/397.aspx?Ne=211&N=4294967266+4294965499

I've noticed this before in other reviews, anyone know what the deal is?

-Mike.

[p.dath]

They don't seem that similar to me ... but perhaps they were purchased from the same bureau.

Independent writers can write stories, give them to a bureau, or then sell them to publishers on their behalf.

[Big Dave]

The manufacturer provides a press release on the vehicle.

The amount of paraphrasing of that document often reflects the time / budget available for the gig.

I do it online, but always note 'from the press release'.

[MidnightMike]

The manufacturer provides a press release on the vehicle.

The amount of paraphrasing of that document often reflects the time / budget available for the gig.

I do it online, but always note 'from the press release'.

Ah, that explains it. Cheers Dave.

[Big Dave]

Dath is correct too, some content - Cathcart eg - is syndicated and appears in multiple publications globally.

[Bob]

They don't look that similar to me either - as is said above, if you take material from a press-pack (to meet a deadline for example), then some commonality will slip in (and the press-pack stuff is intended for just that - although if you depended on it too much, I'd suggest your editor might not be too happy! But as Mike says, always a good idea to reference the press material if you are going to use a snippet).

One thing I found interesting when I was studying writing; you can sell the same words... but the sources have to be different. So, for example, you can sell a bike review to a bike magazine and a national newspaper, as they are aimed at different markets. But two bike magazines is not allowed.

Not sure how strong the ground is on, say, a bike website and a car website for example (the two media sources covered here), but the core intended markets are different, so probably OK.

(I'd like to know just what the legal stance is on a bike website and a bike magazine. Same subject matter, but different media. But as long as you do not use the same words, far as I am aware it is OK to write for both on the same subject)

[James Deuce]

Alan Cathcart and Roland Brown both sell single articles to multiple Bike Magazines, the mags are just on different continents. I've ditched Motorcycle Sport & Leisure for this reason (quite apart from the stuffy editorial style).

The only thing they change (sometimes) are the photos supplied with the article.

[Big Dave]

The way an Editor explained it to me is that Mr Cathcart tests a bike. Speaks all his thoughts into a dictaphone, gives that to a transcribing service and then supplies all 10,000 (eg) words for syndication to publications who then edit the salient points out.