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Consumer Reports
CategoriesProduct testing, Consumer education, consumer advocacy,
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation7,300,000 / month
PublisherConsumers Union
First issueMay 1936
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Websiteconsumerreports.org
ISSN0010-7174

Consumer Reports is the product testing and consumer protection magazine first published by Consumer Reports in 1936 and the online publication at ConsumerReports.org launched in 1997. Throughout its history it has continually been one of the most popular publications as measured by number of paying subscribers. Since its first publication it has generated various spin-offs, including an annual buying guide, advisory newsletters, and ShopSmart magazine. The Consumerist blog is also part of the publication family.

Together, the revenue generated by sale of subscriptions to these publications fund the product testing, educational, and advocacy work of the organizations called Consumer Reports and Consumers Union.

Consumer Reports the organization

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Main article: Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is the non-profit organization which publishes Consumer Reports. When the magazine was established in 1936 it was called Consumers Union Reports and the name of its publisher was "Consumers Union" until 2012, at which time the publishing arm of the organization changed to "Consumer Reports" while the advocacy arm of the organization kept the name "Consumers Union".[1] In 2007 the organization had a budget of US$208 million, of which it spent 52 million for editorial work and 24 million for technical research to produce the magazine.[2] In the year previous to May 2009 the organization had revenue of US$248 coming from subscriptions, grants, and donations.[3] The Testing and Research Center in Yonkers, New York conducts most of the product testing to generate the articles in the magazine. Money generated by subscriptions to the magazine funds Consumer Reports' research and advocacy work.[4]

Style

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Advertising

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Consumer Reports accepts no advertising and considers not having advertisers to be an advantage in having a good reputation in publishing.[3][2] The "no advertising" policy has been consistent in the organization's history.[5]

Besides not having advertising in its publications, Consumer Reports forbids merchants from mentioning Consumer Reports ratings in their own advertisements.[5] Instances in which Consumer Reports has asked organizations to quit citing reports include detergent ratings.[6][7]

Ratings system

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the Consumer Reports' "blobs", which are a modification of Harvey Balls

Consumer Reports as an organization takes responsibility for the development of ratings rather than attributing its reports to particular writers.[8] The ratings are based on price and quality.[9] The top rating, "Best Buy", does not necessarily indicate the highest quality product, but rather is a recommendation for the best value considering both price and quality.[9] In addition to noting the "Best Buy" products, the magazine reports a list of products by quality.

Early in the magazine's history products were rated with letter grades and prices were rated with numbers.[9] Later the magazine began using a graphical representation called a "blob", which was visually radical in the context of traditional graphic design principles but which has gained backing among subscribers.[5]

The ratings system has been critiqued as being a model for how consumers should consider the quality of products in addition to just being advice which they should follow.[10]

Edward Tufte, a commentator on data visualization, noted the Consumer Reports ratings system as "an ingenious mix of table and graphic, portraying a complex set of comparisons". [11]

Publications

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Reviewers have characterized Consumer Reports' publications as "no-frills, not-for-profit" and "(prizing) the credibility of its ratings above all else".[12] Other reviewers have estimated that "Consumer Reports magazine and website drive spending decisions on some 3,000 product models annually".[3] Consumer Reports has no direct competition in its field of product testing publication.[4]

Consumer Reports publications reach more than 7 million paid subscribers monthly, including 3 million web subscribers and 4 million online subscribers.[13][3] In addition to subscribers to Consumer Reports magazine and online, 150,000 people subscribe to ShopSmart, 225,000 subscribe to the MoneyAdvisor newsletter, and 560,000 subscribe to the OnHealth newsletter.[2]

An journalism expert cited by the New York Times explained that that people will pay a small amount for access to a database which helps them make a wise purchase of a home appliance or car.[5] Victor Saul Navasky commented that "It's amusing that what they do comes across in conventional, capitalist terms – helping people who want to spend their money to spend it and get value for it, and pushing corporations to perform better."[4] Magazine reviewer Samir Husni said that "(Consumer Reports does not) have to think twice about saying anything - good or bad - about a product."[12] Other reviewers have noted that the news media continues to quote Consumer Reports as an authoritative source of product ratings.[4]

Consumer Reports' large circulation for its publications means that its information reaches a significant portion of the United States population.[14] Much of this information influences consumers in making purchase decisions.[14] Positive reviews often increase sales while negative reviews depress sales.[14]

Consumer Reports' demand for increased business ethics, safety standards, and respect for persons has raised standards for quality and performance of products and services and promoted a more fair marketplace.[14] Every year all subscribers are given an opportunity to complete a questionaire about recent product experiences.[14] An early use of "crowdsourcing" with customer surveys[5] The 2011 questionnaire drew 960,000 responses.[5] Through this survey, Consumer Reports has gained what reviewers have called the the "mother lode" of used car data, which the organization uses to write about the reliability and maintenance costs of cars.[5] Survey researchers at Consumer Reports analyze product performance surveys from more than a million readers annually.[14][4]

Consumer Reports magazine

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First published in 1936, Consumer Reports has been the flagship publication of Consumer Reports until August 2011, at which time ConsumerReports.org began to generate more revenue than the magazine.[5] Unusually in the field of publishing, the online version became popular without a decrease in the number of print subscribers, which has remained constant at 4 million subscribers since 2001.[5] More than than 60 percent of the magazine's readers are men.[4] Because Consumer Reports is a non-profit organization, it receives a discount on postage, and so the organization spends only US$17 million a year on paper and postage compared to 40 million for typical commercial magazine.[4]

In late 2014 Consumer Reports redesigned the look of the magazine to "create a modern publication that embraces its history and looks toward the future without alienating its core-audience."[15] The redesign placed more emphasis on the lack of advertising, the organization's nonprofit mission, navigational aids in the text, new designs for infographics, and a range of artistic changes.[15] Regular features in the magazine include sections titled "Lab Tests" and Road Report".[15]

ConsumerReports.org

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Content

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Consumer Reports first began publishing content on their website in 1997, at which time the website was a verbatim copy of the magazine.[5] By 2011 the organization put all test results onto the website as soon as they became available.[5] The website publishes content from the magazine with additional material found only on the website.[16] In 2002 ConsumerReports.org differed from other magazine sites for not being arranged by issue, but rather by having all content arranged in a database which was searchable by hierarchical subject index, by an alphabetical subject index, or with full text search.[16]

CR has always charged subscribers separately for access to print and online, whereas The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times tried to do this then abandoned the practice after their audience demanded access to both.[4] 650,000 subscribers pay for both magazine and web subscriptions.[2] Safety warnings are always available on the free portion of website.[4]

Circulation

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ConsumerReports.org has one of the largest paid-subscription subscriber bases of any publication on the web.[2] In 2007 Consumer Reports web traffic was much higher than that of other publications, at more than 46 million views per month.[2] In 2007 the website was gaining subscribers at a rate of 50,000 per month while maintaining a paywall, and at the same time such publications as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were abandoning their online paywalls due to inability to attract visitors with the paywall in place.[2] By 2001 the website had 557,000 subscribers and by 2011 3.3 million subscribers; as an example comparison, this is six times as many digital subscribers as The Wall Street Journal had at that time.[5] In 2002 the website had over 800,000 paid subscribers and was one of the few successful fee-based websites in existence.[16] In August 2011 Consumer Reports began generating more revenue from digital subscriptions than print.[5] The advertising industry has traditionally seen print readers as more valuable than online readers, but this is not applicable for Consumer Reports because it takes no advertising.[4]

The readership demographic for online subscriptions is nearly equally divided by gender.[4] Persons who subscribe to the website are more likely than print subscribers to be doning research on products than browsing content.[2]

A reviewer said that the partnership with pricegrabber.com to add links to sites where users could buy reviewed products "has (not) shaken the public's faith in the brand".[12] In 2000 a reviewer for the New York Times upon reviewing the website in 2000 said that the website was the best way she had found to get information about the products which the organization reviewed.[17]

ShopSmart

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Consumer Reports began publishing ShopSmart, a magazine targeted to women over age 30, in August 2006.[18] In 2001 the magazine was reviewed as having been well-received by its audience and with a stable subscriber base.[19]

The Consumerist

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Main article: The Consumerist

The Consumerist is a consumer affairs blog owned by Consumer Reports with posts provided by regular daily contributors. The blog's focus is on consumerism and consumers' experiences and issues with companies and corporations, concentrating mostly on U.S. consumers. Some of the topics of its blog entries are originated by the editors, but most come from reader-submitted tips and complaints.

Consumer Reports bought Consumerist in 2009 from Gawker Media to reach out to younger readers and give the organization presence in the blogosphere.[12]

Books

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  • Palmer, Dewey; Crooks, Lawrence E. (1938). Millions on Wheels: How to Buy, Drive, and Save Money on Your Automobile (Consumers Union ed.). New York: Vanguard Press.[20]
  • White, Jean L.; Aaron, Harold (1949). Children for the Childless. Consumers Union.[21]
  • Guttmacher, Alan F.; the editors of Consumer Reports (1962). The Consumers Union Report on Family Planning. Mount Vernon, NY: Consumers Union of U.S. Library of Congress number 62-17894 {{cite book}}: |author2= has generic name (help)[22]
  • Carson, Rachel (1962). Silent spring (Consumers Union ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.[23]
  • Brecher, Edward; Brecher, Ruth; Herzog, Arthur; Goodman, Walter; editors of Consumers Reports (1963). The Consumers Union Report on Smoking and the Public Interest. Mount Vernon, NY: Consumers Union. {{cite book}}: |author5= has generic name (help)[24]
  • Brecher, Edward M. (1973). editors of Consumer Reports (ed.). Licit and illicit drugs : the Consumers Union report on narcotics, stimulants, depressants, inhalants, hallucinogens, and marijuana -including caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol (16th print. ed.). Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0316107174. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)[25]
  • Galbraith, John Kenneth; Salinger, Nicole (1978). Almost everyone's guide to economics ([reprinted]. ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0395271179.[26]
  • Hein, Karen; DiGeronimo, Theresa Foy; the editors of Consumer Reports Books (1989). AIDS, trading fears for facts : a guide for young people. illustrated by Keith Haring. Yonkers, N.Y.: Consumers Reports Books. ISBN 0-89043-481-6. {{cite book}}: |author3= has generic name (help)[27]
  • Brecher, Edward M. (1986). Love, Sex, and Aging: A Consumers Union Report. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316107190.[28]
  • the editors of Consumer Reports Books, ed. (1996). How to clean practically anything (4th ed.). Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books. ISBN 978-0890438435. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)

Other publications

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Consumer Reports records radio public service announcements. Distributors in 100 US markets broadcast an average of five ninety-second CR radio reports per week.[14] The TV news feature service broadcasts in most major US markets and over 80 local stations, with an average of 12 90-second spots broadcast each month.[14] Consumer Reports has made occasional television specials for HBO.[14]

About 350 United States newspapers publish Consumer Reports' syndicated news column, which appears twice weekly.[14]

Consumer Reports operates an automobile price service department providing information on industry rates for cars in which they provide dealer costs of any car model and its accessories so that a buyer can negotiate with knowledge of the actual price.[14]

In the early 1980s Consumer Reports published through the videotex service Viewtron, which was an online service provider for delivering text to television screens.[29][30]

Recognition

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Consumer Reports has won awards for journalism, including the following:[31]

Awards won by Consumer Reports
Year Awarding institution Award granted Award category Work recognized
2010 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award[32] Magazine Investigative Reporting "Food and supplement safety"
2007 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award[33] Public Service in Magazine Journalism "Healthcare Crisis"
2006 Public Affairs Council Grassroots Innovation Award[34][35] Technology "Drugs I Need"
2006 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award[36] Public Service in Online Journalism "Profits vs. Patients: CR Investigates Nursing Homes"
2005 National Press Club Consumer Journalism Award[31] "The Trouble with Product Recalls"
2005 International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences Webby Award[37] Guides/Ratings/Reviews
2004 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award[38] Public Service in Magazine Journalism "Dangerous Supplements: Still at Large"
2004 Columbia University and American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) National Magazine Award[39] Leisure Interests "Veterinary Care Without the Bite"
1996 American Medical Association President's Prize[31] "Secondhand Smoke-Is it a Hazard?"
1993 Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp Award[40] Children Zillions: Consumer Reports for Kids
1990 National Council of Teachers of English Orwell Award[41][42] "Selling America's Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids of the 90s"
1990 Columbia and ASME National Magazine Award[43][44] Personal Service "Beyond Medicare"
1987 Columbia and ASME National Magazine Award[45] Public Service "Life Insurance: How to Protect Your Family "
1975 Columbia and ASME National Magazine Award[46] Public Service "Is the Water Safe to Drink?"
1975 American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award[47] Certificate of Merit "A Guide for Renters"

Notes

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  1. ^ Guest, Jim (2012). "From Our President - Changes for 2012 - Consumer Reports". consumerreports.org. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Mickey, Bill (October 2007). "How to Write a Compelling Refrigerator Story". foliomag.com. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Bounds, Gwendolyn (May 5 2010). "Meet the Sticklers". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2 October 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Pérez-Peña, Richard (December 8, 2007). "Success Without Ads - New York Times". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Stross, Randall (December 11, 2011). "Consumer Reports, Going Strong at 75". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  6. ^ Neff, Jack (12 September 2011). "Reckitt Ads Feature Consumer Reports Results Despite Ban". Advertising Age. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  7. ^ Stevenson, Seth (27 December 2011). "The Dishwasher Wars". Slate. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  8. ^ Silber 1983, p. 85.
  9. ^ a b c Sorenson 1941, p. 33.
  10. ^ Kelley, Todd R. (2010). "Design Assessment: Consumer Reports Style". Technology Teacher. International Technology and Engineering Educators Association: 12–16. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Tufte, Edward (1983). "Data Density and Small Multiples". The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (1992 ed.). Graphics Press. p. 174.
  12. ^ a b c d Leonard, Devin (2010). "Who's Afraid of Steve Jobs". Bloomberg Businessweek (July 26–August 1). Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  13. ^ Stableford, Dylan (12/03/2007). "Consumer Reports Surpasses 3,000,000 Online Subscriptions". foliomag.com. Retrieved 15 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Brobeck 1997, p. 183.
  15. ^ a b c editors (26 September 2014). "Inside the Consumer Reports Redesign". spd.org. Society of Publication Designers. Retrieved 8 May 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ a b c O'Leary, Mick (2002). "Consumers Union Watches the Web". Online. 26 (6): 70–72. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Slatalla, Michelle (March 23, 2000). "ONLINE SHOPPER - Turning the Tables to Rate the Raters". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  18. ^ Aspan, Maria (July 24, 2006). "Consumer Reports to Add Shopping Magazine - New York Times". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  19. ^ Samir Husni (September 1, 2011). "NO ADS and Successful: All The Shopping, None of the ADS. ShopSmart;) Magazine Celebrates its Fifth Anniversary The Mr. Magazine Interview with Lisa Lee Freeman, Shop Smart's Editor In Chief". mrmagazine.wordpress.com. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  20. ^
  21. ^ "Children for the Childless a New Report on Infertility and What can be done about it". New York Age. 30 April 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  22. ^
    • Ryan, Kenneth J. (January 1, 1963). "The Consumers Union Report on Family Planning". Pediatrics. 31 (1): 122.
    • "The Consumers Union Report on Family Planning". Annals of Internal Medicine. 57 (3): 512. 1962. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-57-3-512_5.
    • Lamb, Emmet J. (1967). "CONSUMERS UNION REPORT ON FAMILY PLANNING". California Medicine. 106 (4): 335. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. ^
  24. ^ Benjamin Spock, Lester Breslow, William Styron, and various other reviewers commented on the book. See Silber 1983, p. 69-71, citing
    • "Excerpts from early comments on the Consumers Union Report on Smoking and the Public Interest" from the Brecher Collection in the archives at Consumers Union
    • It is not clear which source is Spock's, but Silber quotes him as writing, "parents would be wise to read the CU Report on Smoking so that they can influence their children before it is too late."
    • The New York Times. 17 July 1963. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    • The New York Times Book Review. 20 October 1963. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
    • Styron, William (26 December 1963). "The Habit". The New York Review of Books. if not a joy, then at least agreeable to read.
    • Christianity Today. 8 November, 1963. the religious community can "no more look at the cigarette-lung cancer problem from a morally neutral point of view than it can be oblivious to the moral implications of the daily slaughter on the highways and the human wreckage through alcoholism." {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
    See also the following review of this book:
  25. ^
    • Becker, Charles E. (February). "Licit and Illicit Drugs". wjm. 120 (2): 180. PMC 1129374. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
    • Liskow, B. I. (1973). "Licit and Illicit Drugs: The Consumers' Union Report on Narcotics, Stimulants, Depressants, Inhalants, Hallucinogens, and Marijuana—Including Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 224 (8): 1192–1110. doi:10.1001/jama.1973.03220220090038.
    • "Licit and Illicit Drugs. The Consumers Union Report on Narcotics, Stimulants, Depressants, Inhalants, Hallucinogens, and Marijuana—Including Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol". Annals of Internal Medicine. 79 (6): 924. 1973. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-79-6-924_1.
    • Beck, Aaron T.; Wright, Fred D.; Newman, Cory F.; Liese, Bruce S. (1993). Cognitive therapy of substance abuse. New York: Guilford Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1572306592.
  26. ^ Wilson, George W. (1979). "Perspectives on Galbraith: Conversations and Opinions/Almost Everyone's Guide to Economics (Book Review)". Business Horizons. 22 (6): 92. Retrieved 22 July 2013. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  27. ^
  28. ^ "Kirkus - LOVE, SEX, AND AGING: A Consumer's Union Report". Kirkus Reviews. Jan. 10th, 1983. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Birnbaum, Bob (1984). "Why Consider Videotex?". Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management. 13. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  30. ^ "ConsumerReports.org Surpasses 800,000 Paid Subscribers; Largest Publication-Based Subscription Site Continues Growth; ConsumerReports.org Appoints Jerry Steinbrink General Manager, Senior Director. - Free Online Library". thefreelibrary.com. PR Newswire. 6 March 2002. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  31. ^ a b c "ConsumerReports.org - Awards won". consumerreports.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Society of Professional Journalists | Sigma Delta Chi Awards". spj.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Society of Professional Journalists | Sigma Delta Chi Awards". spj.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "2006 Grassroots Innovation Awards | Public Affairs Council". pac.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Prescription drug reform campaign wins Public Affairs Council award | Consumers Union". consumersunion.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Society of Professional Journalists | Sigma Delta Chi Awards". spj.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Kaminer, Michael (3 May 2005). "Welcome to the Webby Awards". webbyawards.com. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  38. ^ "Society of Professional Journalists | Sigma Delta Chi Awards". spj.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "Consumer Reports | MPA". magazine.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "Golden Lamp Winners 1967-2000 - Association of Educational Publishers". aepweb.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "Past Recipients of the NCTE Orwell Award" (PDF). National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  42. ^ awarded to "Charlotte Baecher, Consumers Union"
  43. ^ "Consumer Reports". magazine.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ Warren, James (27 April 1990). "Headed for the grave, magazine tops awards". Chicago Tribune. section 5. p. 1-3. Retrieved 16 January 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  45. ^ "Consumer Reports". magazine.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ "Consumer Reports". magazine.org. 2013 [last update]. Retrieved 14 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ "Gavel Award Certificate of Merit Winners" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved 14 May 2013.

Sources

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  • Sorenson, Helen (1941). The Consumer Movement:What it is and what it means. New York: Harper and Brothers.
  • Silber, Norman Isaac (1983). Test and protest. New York: Holmes & Meier: Holmes and Meier. ISBN 0841907498.
  • Brobeck, Stephen (1997). Encyclopedia of the consumer movement. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC-Clio. ISBN 0874369878.
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[[Category:Consumer magazines]] [[Category:Consumer guides]] [[Category:Advertising-free magazines]] [[Category:American magazines]] [[Category:Monthly magazines]] [[Category:Publications established in 1936]] [[Category:Review websites]] [[Category:American online magazines]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 1997]]

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