This article comes from the United Church Observer
http://www.ucobserver.org/about/
Founded in 1829, The United Church Observer is the oldest continuously published magazine in North America and the second oldest in the English speaking world. It has won international acclaim for journalistic excellence and garnered more awards for writing than any other Canadian religious publication. Editor David Wilson says of his mandate for the publication in contemporary Canada: “We seek to offer the United Church and Canadians generally a church magazine that exceeds people’s expectations of church magazines. As we move forward into a new era and style of faith-based publishing, we are constantly mindful of the traditions into which we are anchored.”
And...
Since 1986, The Observer has been independently incorporated, which makes it unique among major North American denominational publications. The magazine sets its own editorial policies and program and is overseen by its own board of directors. While it maintains a healthy relationship with The United Church of Canada, it does not speak as the denomination’s official voice, receiving only about 7 percent of its funding from the United Church’s General Council. Other funding comes from individual subscriptions, newsstand purchases, the Friends of the Observer Fund and government grants. The Observer’s financial and legal independence permits the publication to comment freely on matters within and outside The United Church of Canada. Says editor Wilson: “In the same way that The United Church of Canada is part of the Canadian identity, an independent Observer is inextricably part of the United Church identity — one of those unique features of the United Church that Canadians admire, whether they’re in the pews or on the sidelines.”
I agree with everyone else - a well written and well researched article.