Alms for the poor

jjmoney62 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 7:04 am

Smack dab in the middle of the NY Times home page this morning is a large, revenue-generating advertisement for Kerry-Edwards (begging readers for $50 each). Call me naive, but I found it jarring.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 9:51 am

The ads also appear on the Washington Post site. I agree that they seem more inappropriate than, say, ads for garage-door openers.

Matthew Grieco · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:45 am

I haven't seen the ads, but what's wrong with them? Presidential campaigns need money and newspapers need to sell ads. What is jarring?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 11:56 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Matthew Grieco:
I haven't seen the ads, but what's wrong with them? Presidential campaigns need money and newspapers need to sell ads. What is jarring?<hr></blockquote>There's nothing wrong with them, I suppose. They sure jump out at you, which is good for the advertiser. I would rather not see ads of any kind so closely integrated with editorial content, but I'm a dreamer.
About 20 years ago I wrote a letter of complaint to the editor of the Atlantic Monthly about ads that were being placed smack in the middle of editorial copy. The editor told me in reply that I might as well get used to it.

JonScribe · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 3:39 pm

"I'm Arthur Sulzberger Jr., and I approved the sale of that ad space."

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:12 pm

So how many of the papers we work for publish ads on 1A? My paper doesn't (the EE is really against it), although I hear corporate has considered it in the past.GatekeeperP.S. As for the subject at hand, I find ads smack-dab in the middle of editorial content annoying and, frankly, I think it makes a portion of the public question our professed integrity.-30-

ToddJBehme · **Posted:** Sat Jul 17, 2004 6:39 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
The ads also appear on the Washington Post site. I agree that they seem more inappropriate than, say, ads for garage-door openers.<hr></blockquote>I noticed them some time back on the NYT site. With their placement they strike me as looking dangerously like an editorial comment.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Sun Jul 18, 2004 2:31 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by blanp:
About 20 years ago I wrote a letter of complaint to the editor of the Atlantic Monthly about ads that were being placed smack in the middle of editorial copy. The editor told me in reply that I might as well get used to it.<hr></blockquote>Not familiar with the publication. Is it an advertising island that we are talking about here?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Sun Jul 18, 2004 2:58 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Paul Wiggins:
Not familiar with the publication. Is it an advertising island that we are talking about here?<hr></blockquote>I guess that's what it's called. The Atlantic was the first place I noticed one, probably because I saw it during one of those happy times James Fallows wasn't writing for the magazine.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:42 pm

We've managed to avoid them over the years by asserting that they are bad for circulation. If anyone has any empirical data, I'd be obliged.

ramblerdan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:21 pm

>So how many of the papers we work for publish ads on 1A? My paper doesn't (the EE is really against it), although I hear corporate has considered it in the past.I assuming you're asking about print. My hometown paper puts ads on Page 1, but it's a piece of crap anyway, so it's not like they sacrificed integrity or credibility with the move.

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