Russell Adams of The Wall Street Journal writes Monday about how health insurer Humana Inc. suggested an article on Medicare to the Detroit Free Press and then purchased an advertisement next to the article when it ran in this weekend’s newspaper.
Adams wrote, “Executives of the Free Press, which is owned by Gannett Co., say that while the idea for Sunday’s articles originated with Humana, the advertiser had no involvement or say in them, and the paper undertook the special Medicare section because it involved an issue that was topical and relevant to readers.
“‘Editorial content needs to remain, and does remain, with the newsroom,’ says Paul Anger, editor and publisher of the Free Press. ‘But where we can find the connections that make sense for marketing purposes, that’s something that we need to be open to.’
“A Humana spokesman says the company simply asked whether the Free Press was planning a special section on the Medicare enrollment period and, on learning that it was, decided to buy an ad in the section.”
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