The slippery slope of business section sponsorships

Lou Gelfand writes in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the issues raised by a bank sponsoring a column in the business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gelfand wrote, “There is only one certainty. The Inquirer’s experiment will spread. When circulation and advertising go limp, tradition be damned.

“But what’s the big deal, anyhow? Business and political news shows on the broadcast networks have had sponsors for years. And CBS doesn’t invite Archer Daniels Midland to review ’60 Minutes’ before the show airs.

“But I think the Inquirer ad is a big deal because inevitably an enterprising automobile dealership will grasp the wisdom of its logo symbol being on the cover of the Business section every day, but insist on withdrawal when the column includes an item about a manufacturer’s recall.

“The Inquirer’s editor says the bank will have no influence on what goes into the column.”

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