Why California biz journal is running ad from Texas

Jack Robinson, the editor of the Sacramento Business Journal, writes about why the paper is running an advertisement that aims to lure business to Texas.

Robinson writes, “In calls and at business meetings, a handful of readers have questioned why the Sacramento Business Journal is running ads from The Woodlands, a planned community near Houston that hopes to attract California companies.

“In an essay running in this week’s edition in print and online, publisher Terry Hillman answers those readers. He argues the newspaper’s role in advertising, as in editorial content, is to be a neutral platform for the exchange of information — not a partisan advocate.

“‘Although I’m sensitive to the anger and disappointment we feel whenever we lose jobs to another state, declining to run the ads never crossed my mind,’ Hillman writes. ‘Except for those that are lewd or blatantly false, we don’t filter advertiser messages or treat clients differently based on their views.’

“In an April 26 story about the Texas advertising campaign, Business Journal reporter Christopher Arns wrote that The Woodlands has targeted several cities where likely prospects are located.”

Read more here.