By Brian Lee
The recent difference of opinion between VISTA Radio (CKAY) news director Sean Eckford and his bosses highlights a tenet of journalism often underappreciated by consumers of news. Eckford took a principled stand (he quit) when it was suggested his newsroom help peddle advertising.
As news gathering transitions into a new model, we hear about mounting pressures to cut costs. One tantalizing target is the Chinese wall that insulates journalists from their sales colleagues. Without this separation, those responsible for accurately reporting news stories could be seen as collaborating with those whose sole job is to make money for the company. In other words, sales people might exert pressure on how or what stories appear.
If allowed, business priorities can creep into the newsroom in any number of ways and newspaper publishers recognized long ago that if readers didn’t trust the source, they wouldn’t consume the product. So, promoting credibility and integrity in the industry makes good business sense. But is that the case anymore?
Vista Radio is not alone in its attempt to circumvent this principle. Across the media landscape, the line between advertising and journalistic content is getting fuzzier. Though not alone, BC Business magazine is a good local example. It was once a respectable source of business news but now seems especially intent on blurring the edges between news and "promoted content" (a deceptive marketing tag for "advertorial"). There’s not that much reliable content left in the publication and what remains is tainted by the excessive volume of promotional copy.
But who am I to talk? One of the most egregious examples of an unholy union between business and journalism exists here in the Harbour Spiel. I hold a unique position as editor, reporter, sales manager and publisher. The only thing resembling a Chinese wall here is in my head and it poses a constant challenge.
Unlike Eckford, I have the ultimate authority to resist business pressures but also the undeniable temptation to bend to them. One of the ways I cope has been to all but ignore marketing the business in order to apply limited resources to the editorial side of the paper. It’s partly from necessity — there isn’t time to do both jobs well — but it’s also from a belief that a quality paper will draw more readers and that will attract advertising organically.
I also say "no," a lot. Telling your clients they are not always right doesn’t get you very far in any business. But despite many opportunities for conflict, advertisers in this paper have (almost) always understood when I’ve explained why a two-for-one promotion isn’t appropriate for page four’s "Spiel Picks" column. Or why I can’t back off a story because it makes them uncomfortable. It’s not an ideal situation but it has taken the Spiel this far — and despite plenty of missteps, not a single staffer has quit in protest.
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