Features Opinion
From the editor: Best practices

This issue features more opinion and/or single-perspective feature articles than I usually like to have.

As an editorial team, we have a high standard that we follow when featuring stories that are written in a first-person voice or perspective. Before we even agree to allocate pages to these types of stories, I take my journalistic responsibility very seriously to vet and verify the information. I believe that these stories must remain accurate and instructive for industry professionals. 

Marketing rhetoric is reserved for a clearly marked Sponsored Content ad.

Our cover story is an essay written by James Tuller, a commissioning manager who represents RAS builder, Pure Salmon Technology in Sandefjord, Norway. In preparation for this piece, I met with Tuller and the Pure Salmon team to emphasize the importance of explaining the role of commissioning engineers.

Though Tuller writes directly of his experience at his company, the essay explains the role he plays in a RAS project’s crucial transition from design to system startup. Like my role as editor of RAStech Magazine, the role of the commissioning engineer is to perform the proper checks and balances for a successful launch. I hope this article helps prompt you to examine your own project management  processes with new eyes.

Further into this issue, you’ll find that more opinion and/or single-perspective stories. John Mosig writes about his 43 years watching RAS technology grow in Australia and he reflects on its future potential. 

We also have an expert article from Scott Tsukada and Steve Summerfelt, PhD about some new research that they have been working on to improve oxygen control in a RAS system. 

Both these stories offer interesting first-person insight that only their individual expertise could offer. 

We give these stories headers like “Viewpoint” or “Ask the Expert” respectively to create a distinct space where they can offer their unique commentary. We include headshots and author biographies to place an author’s voice of authority. It informs the reader of the author’s organization affiliations, as well as his or her qualifications on the subject. We also include contact information or a website available, so that the reader has direct access to more information.

Notice that these additional elements make these stories visually distinct from our feature articles because we want to signal to the reader that it should not be read in the same way as those written by trained journalists. 

Speaking of, we also feature a profile story by our seasoned Chilean reporter, Christian Pérez-Mallea. He profiles how Lago Sofia became certified for its animal welfare standards. This is a milestone not only for the company, but for the Chilean RAS industry at large. 

 As with any RAStech issue I publish, I hope all stories offer valuable information that prompt productive conversations among industry professionals. Sharing best practices is what drives progress. 

As always, if you have ideas you’d like to share, or if you’d like to talk about the magazine, you can email me at jkodin@annexbusinessmedia.com.