Morgan Stanley and BP launch press intimidation policies
BP INSTITUTES ‘AD-PULL’ POLICY FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS
Demands Advance Review of News Content
May 24, 2005
By Lisa Sanders and Jean HallidayNEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Days after financial services giant Morgan Stanley informed print publications that its ads must be automatically pulled from any edition containing “objectionable editorial coverage,” global energy giant BP has adopted a similar press strategy. (Story – free registration required.)
So, how do we handle this?
I know how I’d be tempted to approach it if I were the CEO of a hypothetical news org facing this kind of policy. My reflex would be to instruct my editorial folks to get medieval in their investigative mission, starting with Morgan Stanley and BP. I know – that wouldn’t be objective. But don’t these policies make clear that we’re way past any pretense of neutrality and objectivity?
I’d be interested in hearing how those of you in actual newsrooms might go about fielding this screaming little short-hopper….
[THX: nyuszo for pointing this out.]
lullaby pit 
One approach: we’re not interested in your ads any more, thanks.
Hasn’t that been the case for some time now in all of the media?
Not exactly. There hasn’t ever been objectivity, but there has always been a lingering pretense.
BP and MS
I guess we’re seeing the next phase of emasculaing the 4th Estate here. Once this becomes SOP for corps. (and it will), we’ll see even weaker “news” reporting than we see now.
Maybe that Chinese style blogging thing will develop here out of necessity.
Or maybe we can get some high school kids to take over reporting….