Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Nowhere was the wall between editorial and ad sales as high nor as impenetrable than at mainstream news organizations.

Who can forget the maelstrom that erupted in 1999 when one esteemed journalistic enterprise the Los Angeles Times blurred those lines by publishing a 168-page special Sunday magazine issue devoted exclusively to the city’s new sports arena, the Staples Center? It was an ad-brokered deal.

The Times's respected media critic at the time David Shaw recounted the ethical breech (and the newsroom turmoil it caused) in a 30,000-word critique titled "Crossing the Line." Many other media pundits echoed Shaw's distaste for this egregious church-meets-state no-no.

My how things have changed! In an era when display and classified ad revenue at nearly every paper-driven media organization has fallen off the fiscal cliff, and the CPMs at Web-based media have failed to quickly fill the void, publishers have resorted to new and creative ways to blur the lines between advertising and editorial to enhance "ad" revenue. (Shaw, who passed away in 2005, would likely not be pleased.)...

[Peter Himler offers an in-depth look at the crossover between editorial and advertising, trends and impact of social media. ~ Jeff]