Paid for news articles

[sinklair]

Mid-Michigan Not Now is now going to advertisers and allowing them to buy and create news stories on 25-66’s website.

Check out this news story posted about a wedding venue in Owosso:
https://midmichigannow.com/news/local/o ... ur-big-day#

It was also posted like any other legitimate news story on the station’s Facebook page.

So completely unethical to have advertisers pay for news coverage. The so-called GM Kevin knows better — was a News Director— and still allows this crap. He is part of the problem.

[Graham Wellington]

Newspapers have been doing this for years.

[MasterB]

Dave Bondy still stealing from Mid-Michigan Now with the pay companies on his website I wonder if Dave will pay to get his website some coverage as a fake story that would be something that Dave would do. Been writing & calling to Flint's congressmen & MI US Senators to revoke Sinclair's license Stinklair.

[sinklair]

Kildee and Stabenow are lame ducks. Peters has no connection to FCC oversight. I’ll just have to hope Michigan voters put someone in office with two brain cells to run together and can figure out how to clean this mess up.

[bobhuge]

They all do it. Some are just more covert than others.

[Jack5o2soco]

Mid-Michigan Not Now is now going to advertisers and allowing them to buy and create news stories on 25-66’s website.

Check out this news story posted about a wedding venue in Owosso:
https://midmichigannow.com/news/local/o ... ur-big-day#

It was also posted like any other legitimate news story on the station’s Facebook page.

So completely unethical to have advertisers pay for news coverage. The so-called GM Kevin knows better — was a News Director— and still allows this crap. He is part of the problem.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't the FCC get on them for that? Or is it kosher if they put a disclaimer on it?

[sinklair]

Sinclair is probably in the clear for this one.

The FCC can (and has) fined stations for payola type violations.

The articles are technically labeled as sponsored content. But that’s confusing at best, most likely ethically questionable to make it look like a legitimate news article mixed in with real news.

But the “sponsored by” label was most likely cleared by Sinclair’s lawyers… especially since they were hit with millions of dollars in fines for not disclosing sponsored content a few years back.

https://variety.com/2017/politics/news/ ... 202647175/

[m60]

Good for them, hope it pays off.

[m60]

They all do it. Some are just more covert than others.

For years