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Is The Toronto Star's Special Section On Counterfeiting An Advertorial Or Real News Reporting?
from the just-asking... dept
Recent reports from both the GAO and the OECD have both suggested that claims about the cost of "counterfeit" goods to industries are highly exaggerated. The actual research suggested that it was a much, much smaller problem than the numbers that were often bandied about by lobbyists trying to create stricter laws. And, unfortunately, since those numbers are the only ones around, they're often used as fact even when they have no support. Michael Geist, who has written about this issue numerous times -- including in the Toronto Star newspaper, seems a little surprised to find out that the Toronto Star now has an entire special section on what a big problem counterfeiting is. The section doesn't seem to include a single opposing viewpoint, and the whole thing is sponsored by an anti-counterfeiting lobbying group in Canada. The articles in the section appear to be written by Toronto Star staff reporters, but it sure looks like an advertorial. This isn't to deny that counterfeiting isn't an issue for many businesses -- but it seems a little odd that the recent studies questioning the severity of the problem don't seem to make an appearance, and the fact that these lobbyists' ads are plastered everywhere. The website for the lobbyists even links directly to the "special" issue.
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This is Toronto
But having something sponsored by a certain group with a one sided view is biased.
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agreed
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Wrong Universe.
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Get what you ask for...
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Re: Wrong Universe.
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Marketing success!
As long as media is run by Big Business, the content is up for sale. And newspapers are wondering why blogging is gaining ground at their expense.
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They didn't hold back at all did they!
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LOL WUT?
That said, the special section on counterfeiting was a ridiculously boneheaded addition to the paper, and the decision probably goes against the Atkinson Principles which the paper's management must adhere to.
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Re: Marketing success!
But if 'Holy Joe' Atkinson's principles of governance for the Star are being ignored, then yeah, it'll be no better than the Globe and the Post, both of which are securely in the interests of Big Business. It'll still be better than the Sun, however -- it's hard to sink that low.
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Look Carefully
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here's how it probly went down...
i'm assuming this paper is a daily, so they probly had no problem running to press with whatever they told them. they had exclusive access to this group and, by all accounts, it looked like a chance for the paper to "scoop" other local dailies that weren't privy to this lobbying group's (dis)information.
editorial and sales are supposed to be cleanly defined and not bleed into one another's departments, but there are times when the two muddy the waters. and when reporters aren't well-paid/-trained, it's easy to see why they would be pushovers for an "exclusive" story, pitched by shills.
all this to say, "it happens."
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And the NY fake shopping guide they published?
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knock-offs
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Countefeits
After all, if they can just make things up, why can't I?
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