Is it fair to charge for a publication about swine flu?

That's the issue a reader raised with us recently. What follows is the email trail with this customer. I'd be curious to know your thoughts if you wish to share them. Have we struck a reasonable balance?


-----Original Message-----
From: [email address deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 1:06 PM
Subject: Re: Harvard Medical School Releases Special Health Report on Swine Flu

you really think you're doing a public service by charging $18 for this. you are absolutely shameless and I will make sure every editorial office of every paper in this country knows how you are taking advantage of what could turn into a terrible catastrophe. Shame on you!

[Name deleted]


-----Original Message-----
Dear [ ],

We charge only for the report, and most proceeds collected by Harvard Health Publications go back into Harvard Medical School to fund research and scholarships. The Flu Resource Center we created, http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu, is free and open to the public.

If you would like to speak further about this issue, I can have someone get back to you.

Thanks,
Raquel Schott
Associate Editor, Harvard Health Publications


-----Original Message-----
From: [ ]
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 2:43 PM

if this isn't a case of price gouging nothing is! yes, I would like someone to get back to me. and you put the notice out like it was some great public service. as I said before it is shameless!


-----Original Message-----
From: Coburn, Edward
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 3:50 PM

Dear [ ],

Thank you for your note. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts.

Through our website and our newspaper column, as well as such websites as Newsweek.com, Intelihealth.com, Gather.com, and other websites, we have made a great deal of information freely available to the public on swine flu [including a Question & Answer article that we have made available to websites in English and Spanish].

After 34+ years publishing health information for the general public, we know there is a subset of the population that wants additional, more detailed information so we create special reports. These cost money to produce and proceeds from the sales of these reports enables us to create the content that we make freely available to the public. We have priced this report at the same level as all of the reports we publish. If we were price gouging, we would have substantially increased the price. That is not the case.

I trust you are compensated for the services you render to [your employer]. We also compensate the faculty and staff members who research and write our publications. Since Harvard Health Publications doesn't receive government grants or sell ads, selling publications provides the funding that makes it possible to produce the information that has helped millions of people since 1975.

I understand your concern but fundamentally disagree with your conclusions. I assume you can at least acknowledge that our position is reasonable and we may just have to agree to disagree.

Sincerely yours,
Ed Coburn
Publishing Director, Harvard Health Publications Harvard Medical School
______________________________


What do you think? Have we struck a reasonable balance?