Another Los Angeles Times Advertisement Draws Fire

New York Times:

A day after it ran a front-page advertisement for an NBC show that resembled a news story, The Los Angeles Times faced more questions Friday for another promotion designed to look like news.

This Sunday's Calendar entertainment section will be accompanied by a four-page advertisement for the movie "The Soloist" that is laid out like a news section.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[QuietNetworker]

I am a huge proponent of the advertorial.

David Ogilvy, one of the greatest ad writers
of all times (you can search and enjoy his
works) said, and I believe rightfully so...

"There is no need for advertisements to look like advertisements. If you make them look like editorial pages, you will attract about 50 per cent more readers."

This constant "defense of the dense" by
"consumer protectors" not about faulty
products--but rather about effective ideas,
is a pariah.

Warmly,

Paulie Sabol

[RDixon]

I'm certainly glad that I no longer need to rely on a salary from a job manufacturing printing ink for my subsistence,

[elcojonu]

The New York Times shouldn't go around critisizing other Papers; after all, they're the ones who gave us Judith Miller and have had more than their share of bogus articles the past few years.
Steve Lopez is a great Reporter who happens to write great human interest stories and one of them was extraordinary and made into a movie.
A question for the N.Y. Times, who do you have in your staff that can compare to Steve ?

[RButler]

Over the years, the NYT became more about the NYT than about the news. It's like an actor who has so much going on in his/her personal life that they can't really become a character in a movie because you're so aware of them as the celebrity. They are no longer an actor. The NYT has too many times become either part of the story or the story. Not good. A news source, paper, TV, radio or website, needs to be transparent so that the news is what you get and not the baggage of the medium.

[elcojonu]

They lost me many, many years ago.

[RofWH]

C'mon. LA is a company town. Especially since the aerospace industry died. And Lopez is one of the four best things left in the Zell-shocked LA Times.

[rinpochet]

Since Sam Zell took over the paper, it has become something only fit for lining the bird cage.

[JustMusing]

Zell's Lament: "If I only had a brain....."

[gevan]

Hully gee. The LA Times tried to use the LA Times to make MONEY! NYT = bitch fight.

[JScott]

Seems like if it wasn't Steve Lopez, then SL would be critiquing this bit but wonder what he thinks if it's him.

[SurrealPumpkin]

The article(s) wasn't on the front Front Page, it was on the front page of the entertainment section. I like the idea, especially using the movie to talk about mental illness, America's medical step-child.

[discourse jockey]

Read the whole story: New York Times

[ssfahrer]

Every "news show" on TV has an entertainment segment every day which is disguised as "news". Why shouldn't the LA Times once in a while? What is the problem with that????

[discourse jockey]

Read the whole story: New York Times

[elizlucinda]

Discourse.......That really isn't a very helpful thing to say....twice.....

Two people...now three disagree with you on this one....In the"big" scheme of things it isn't that big a deal.......