News for Sale, Officially

It’s not just private companies but even Government bodies which now want advertisements couched as news

It’s not just private companies but even Government bodies which now want advertisements couched as news. This September, a notice from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reached major magazines and newspapers stating that the organisation planned a series of events for the rest of the financial year, which it wanted to publicise. The catch was that the information would appear as ‘news’ in the publication’s house style, completely blurring the line between advertisments and editorial content. Voices of protest immediately arose. Media blog Sans Serif asked, ‘Does he who pays the piper call the tune?’ When contacted, SS Yadav, PR & AG of NDMA, said he didn’t know why such a policy was taken, but he guessed anyway: “The basic reason may be that if it looks like it is paid for, the reader might not read it.” He said that it was for public benefit, not for selling a brand. “Why should the reader know?” he asked. Arrangements between private advertisers and media already exist, but the Government’s involvement creates a potentially more dangerous conflict of interest.

About The Author

Rahul Bhatia