InfoWorld 2005

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Church/state challengeWhen content
sponsorship dollars collide
Washington, DC October 7, 2006
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A moral dilemma?

• Hardly. Church/state was a business response to
  rampant yellow journalism
• In 19th early 20th centuries, even top
  publishers routinely hyped facts to fit a
  political agenda and ran puff pieces and
  disguised ads to please big sponsors because
  these practices paid off

"You furnish the pictures,I'll furnish the
war. William Randolph Hearst, owner of New
YorkJournal, to Frederick Remington in Cuba
afterartist complained there was nothing to draw
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A smart counter strategy

• Competitors, including NY Times Chicago
  Tribune, separated ad edit interests helping
  them win the publishing war
• Use of phrase church/state attributed to Henry
  Luce (co-founder of Time Inc.) and/or Col. Robert
  McCormick (Chicago Tribune)
• Whatever its origin, the idea stuck until now

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that is under renewed attack

• In print Declining circ and ad support prompts
  desperate measures, such as editors favorites,
  advertorials, product placements, etc.
• Hearst's Shop Etc. sends 500K copies of August
  issue to subs with cover wrap paid for by
  retailer Target has normal Shop Etc. logo,
  picture of gift wrap, word "advertisement" in
  small print at top
• In broadcast The Cialis Open, the Volvo
  Halftime Show. Need we say more?
• On the Web a true Wild West of conflicts

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An example of sponsored content or advertorial
do visitors know the difference?
Slide credit Stuart Schneiderman, Online
Publishers Association
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Sponsored sections
Slide credit Stuart Schneiderman, Online
Publishers Association
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Slide credit Stuart Schneiderman, Online
Publishers Association
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Again, can visitors really tell the difference?
Slide credit Stuart Schneiderman, Online
Publishers Association
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Obviously, this contextual ad backfired, but
too often these ads give the appearance
(reality?) of conflict of interest
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Art Young, drawing for The Masses, December 1912
(quoted in CJR)
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Todays panel

• Thomas Brew, Deputy Editor for Distribution,
  MSNBC.com
• Jon Fine, media columnist, BusinessWeek
• Linda Yurche, Director of Marketing and
  Communications, The Baltimore Sun
  baltimoresun.com
• Kevin McKean, VP/editorial director, Consumer
  Reports (moderator)

And special thanks to coordinator Kathy
Badertscher, Blurb.com!
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Thank you!
Washington, DC October 7, 2006