Posted on 04/10/2009 11:30:50 AM PDT by max americana
Uproar over 'news story' ad on front page of LA Times April 10, 2009
WASHINGTON (AFP) An advertisement dressed up as a news story on the front page of the Los Angeles Times has reporters at the newspaper fuming and the publisher defending the move.
The advertisement, for the NBC television series "Southland," appeared on page one of the Times on Thursday. Although it was labelled "advertisement," the ad resembled a news story complete with a bold-type headline.
According to the blog MediaMemo, more than 100 staffers at the newspaper signed a petition protesting the appearance of the fake news story ad on the front page.
"We the journalists of the newsroom strenuously object to the decision to sell an ad, in the form of a phony news story, on the front page of the Los Angeles Times," mediamemo.allthingsd.com quoted the petition as saying.
"The NBC ad may have provided some quick cash, but it has caused incalculable damage to this institution," it said. "Placing a fake news article on A-1 makes a mockery of our integrity and our journalistic standards.
"Our willingness to sell our most precious real estate to an advertiser is embarrassing and demoralizing," the petition said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The funniest line of the year.
Fake but... paid for.
There was probably more truth and reality in the ad than the normal front page bs in the LA Slimes.
The ad was paid for.
What exactly is the objection to it?
It’s placement on the page? Big deal.
And to think Air-America and Barack Obama never had to pay for their advertisements on the front page.
Egad! A fake news story on the front page of the LA Times?! I’m shocked! Absolutely shocked!
All the news coming from the msm, worldwide, is fake.
Why they bother to have journalists on the payroll is beyond me.
How is this different from Soros/DNC-directed and paid-for “stories” on the front pages of most major dailies on any given day? They’re “outraged” because they were caught.
“I read no newspaper now but Ritchie’s, and in that chiefly the advertisements, for they contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.” - Thomas Jefferson Letter to Nathaniel Macon January 12 1819.
This statement might have some validity if the LA Times actually had any integrity and journalistic standards.
Uhhh.... You guy's have already done that to yourselves in spades.
Truth is, you haven't had ANY integrity OR journalistic standards for decades.
You cashed it all in with your endless, partisan support for liberal democrats.
Yeah, as if they had any integrity to start with!
“I read no newspaper now but Ritchies, and in that chiefly the advertisements, for they contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper. - Thomas Jefferson Letter to Nathaniel Macon January 12 1819.”
Amazing, how somethings don’t seem to change over the centuries.
They must be hurting for money. Good.
Try posting a thread about your two-year-old's cute picture on FR's News & Activism forum and you'll find out.
I don’t see the big deal. Regularly, we see national and local newscasts put up “news stories” that are essentially commercials for tv jobs, local politicians, sports teams, businesses or web sites.
Of course also they generally, if they have a political or culture “bent” to them, they’ll be liberal.
Let the L.A. Slimes just do what all “news” organizations seem to do nowadays. Almost without exception they are hacks.
Dave, that's most likely an accurate observation. But the problem is how could someone tell the difference?
They’ve been doing it for years... why the big deal?
The fake ad was probably more accurate than the usual stories they publish.
Only the editorial board gets to write fake news.
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