PCC should review Editors’ Code to tighten up rules on advertorials

Posted by Dominic Ponsford on 12 August 2009 at 11:22
Tags: Advertorial, Express Newspapers, Journalism, Journalists, National Newspapers, Northern & Shell, Richard Desmond, newspapers

The Press Complaints Commission needs to take note of today’s ASA rebuke for the Daily Express and change the Editors’ Code to outlaw the hijacking of editorial by commercial interests.

The ASA found that the Express has been routinely publishing features solely to promote the products of advertisers.

It has been caught out in the most blatant cases. But who knows how many other times ad-sales staff have strong-armed journalists into obtaining positive name-checks for advertisers in features?

Every day journalists around the world are beaten up, murdered and imprisoned because of their bravery and determination to report the news “without fear or favour”.

The Press Complaints Commission is currently embarking on a wholesale review of its activities. It needs to look at including a new clause in the Editors’ Code stating that advertorial and promotional features should be clearly labelled as such and upholding the commercial independence of editorial content.

The Editors’ Code as it stands contains not a word about paid-for editorial.

Alan Rusbridger, Paul Dacre, Adrian Faber and the other members of the Code Committee need to look at this urgently. Because as the recession bites journalists are going to come under more pressure from desperate managements to sell press freedoms which have been fought and won over centuries for the price of a half-page ad.

Charity begins in the boardroom

Posted by Press Gazette on 20 August 2007 at 15:48
Tags: Guardian Media Group, Northern & Shell, Pearson, Trinity Mirror

For all the challenges currently facing the media – the work of journalists still underpins an industry which is worth billions of pounds every year.

In the regional press, profit margins of 20 to 30 per cent are still the norm, as is the case for many B2B publishers.

National newspapers typically earn less cash for their owners, but the likes of Express Newspapers has delivered up to £1m a week to its owner in recent years.

The UK's biggest newspaper publisher, Trinity Mirror, made an operating profit of £207m in 2006 on turnover of £1,032m and Guardian Media Group has just announced full-year profits of £105.2m on turnover of £700.3m.

In 2006 Trinity Mirror made charitable donations of £68,000. Why, despite being approached by the Journalists' Charity, was none earmarked for its care home? The GMG annual report reveals that it made £503,731 of charitable donations in 2006 – yet again, despite being approached, it made no donation to the Journalists' Charity. As Press Gazette went to print last week, GMG told us it would be making a donation. Bravo.

News organisations expect a lot from their staff – and in the main, journalists deliver admirably. They work long hours above and beyond their contracts – sometimes to the extent that they make themselves ill – often because they are motivated by helping others. They know what they write matters because it can make a difference to people's lives.

The Journalists' Charity provides financial aid for thousands of journalists no longer able to help themselves – and cares full-time for many, and their dependents, through its fabulous new nursing home. But the charity's work could be undermined if cash is not found to cover a £3m shortfall in the cost of building Pickering House.

Hopefully it has only been an oversight that so many of the big news organisations have yet to fulfil their responsibilities.