[pedeypops]

"[Time's manager] Frumin strongly rejected the notion that the flat-fee pay structure has contributed to a decline in quality and argued that the site now relies less on freelance labor, opting to hire more paid staffers for this very reason."

Nah that's totally part of the decline. Articles that used to be co-written by experts like master gardeners or writers with whole blogs on the subject matter are now written by someone with "years or experience reviewing board games" or who previously worked for Men's Health. What unmatched wisdom!