Ethical Advertising vs Journalistic Integrity: Using Advertising As A Reliable News Source
Mike Catherall
May 03, 2006
Is reality painted for you by advertisers?
The news as we know it is in a very ironic situation. With the advent of the consumer-driven information era, the power of the news has been taken from the traditional mediums and placed into the hands of the public at large.
While the line between PR, advertising and journalism may be very thin, advertisers present their bias outright, allowing for intelligent filtering of information without hidden or subversive bias. Much like receiving information from a partial friend.
Sustainability advertising promotes certain values and ways of thinking and the businesses and products that stand behind them. Essentially, sustainability advertising is the bridge between the mainstream and the righteous. It is a melting pot of ideas and ideologies, with a singular focus on bringing uncensored awareness and focus to issues that the public really should know about.
While the traditional news media retains this goal as well, politics and corruption sometimes make their declaration of objectivity dubious.
This column is a case in point. The values of Creative Wonders are promoted on this site, thus the sustainable, spiritual and personal development bent.
Although unabashedly an advertising medium, a news source driven by advertisers also has to adhere to certain journalistic integrity. If no one believes a columnist, a columnist might as well be writing ads.
This is where the belief in ethical business comes back into the fray. The reality is that everything in business boils down to REPUTATION.
People believe those who have earned their trust through a history of honest, transparent, and accountable behaviour.
If an advertiser can offer a history of truth, then why not an advertising agency? To take it further, why not an ad?
If a company earns the trust and goodwill of the population through accurate and honest communications, they have a very valuable resource on their hands.
The news as we know it is in a very ironic situation. With the advent of the consumer-driven information era, the power of the news has been taken from the traditional mediums and placed into the hands of the public at large.
While the line between PR, advertising and journalism may be very thin, advertisers present their bias outright, allowing for intelligent filtering of information without hidden or subversive bias. Much like receiving information from a partial friend.
Sustainability advertising promotes certain values and ways of thinking and the businesses and products that stand behind them. Essentially, sustainability advertising is the bridge between the mainstream and the righteous. It is a melting pot of ideas and ideologies, with a singular focus on bringing uncensored awareness and focus to issues that the public really should know about.
While the traditional news media retains this goal as well, politics and corruption sometimes make their declaration of objectivity dubious.
This column is a case in point. The values of Creative Wonders are promoted on this site, thus the sustainable, spiritual and personal development bent.
Although unabashedly an advertising medium, a news source driven by advertisers also has to adhere to certain journalistic integrity. If no one believes a columnist, a columnist might as well be writing ads.
This is where the belief in ethical business comes back into the fray. The reality is that everything in business boils down to REPUTATION.
People believe those who have earned their trust through a history of honest, transparent, and accountable behaviour.
If an advertiser can offer a history of truth, then why not an advertising agency? To take it further, why not an ad?
If a company earns the trust and goodwill of the population through accurate and honest communications, they have a very valuable resource on their hands.
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