If You Paid For It, It's Not News

The Internet has made it easier than ever for just about anyone to have his or her own show -- streaming radio, YouTube, live chats and the like. Couple that with the traditional cable access networks and you have a lot of people on the air, in some form or another.

This is actually a great thing because it allows more access for anyone to broadcast their message.

But here comes the caveat: some of these producers or hosts charge for appearances on their shows. However, if you paid to have your business or organization featured on a broadcast or in a publication, it is not a news organization. The hosts/writers/etc. are not journalists -- and what you paid for was a commercial.

Several weeks ago, we talked about the benefits of publicity over advertising. The very first benefit -- and a really great one -- is that publicity is free. Good Morning America? Doesn't cost a dime. The Today Show?  You don't pay a cent. The list goes on.

These are news programs and journalists don't pay for news. We see or hear about a story, decide it will appeal to our viewers/listeners/readers on some level and we cover it. What we don't do is accept payment for featuring a story because one of the principal elements of journalism -- objectivity -- goes out the window once money changes hands.

It is actually unethical for journalists to accept any type of payment for a story and most -- actually I can venture to say, all -- news organizations have some sort of ethics code of conduct. The New York Times has  an entire section on protecting neutrality in its company ethics policy that states:



35. Staff members and those on assignment for us may not accept anything that could be construed as a payment for favorable coverage or for avoiding unfavorable coverage. They may not accept gifts, tickets, discounts, reimbursements or other benefits from individuals or organizations covered (or likely to be covered) by their newsroom. Gifts should be returned with a polite explanation; perishable gifts may instead be given to charity, also with a note to the donor. In either case the objective of the note is, in all politeness, to discourage future gifts.


So there you have it. What does this mean for you and your organization if you are considering or have paid to be featured in print or broadcast? Well, for one thing, it should be disclosed that guests pay to be spotlighted so the audience is aware.  


Any organization that pays it guests or accepts payments from its guests should not be billed as a news show or publication -- because being on the news is free.

Bridgette Outten is a journalist and media consultant with The Write Vision Group, Inc. With a background in print media, she has written thousands of articles for newspapers and online publications. At The Write Vision Group, Bridgette consults with nonprofits and small businesses about how to get their programs and efforts in the news. Meanwhile, she blogs on all things journalism.