IT has been over a year since the Olive Press exposed the shady business practices of expat publisher Stan Israel.
While it is not easy to knock another publication, it is hard to ignore the story when multiple members of ex-staff and former printers queue up with stories of non-payment.
Particularly when staff costs at the Olive Press – not to mention the printing bill – are our two highest outlays each month.
If nothing else, business owners and readers deserve to know that the playing field is just a little askew… and if they support publishers like this, they should know what they are buying into.
My last (phone) conversation with Mr. Israel was to chase up payment for an article which I had written for his design and architecture magazine and which, he claimed, had never been printed, therefore he was not obliged to pay me. How unfortunate for him, then, that I had a copy of the magazine in front of me. What he owed me was roughly 200€, so not riches by any means.
Needless to say I never saw a cent of it.