Letter to the editor
A recent article on the eroding line between news and advertising (See “Is it news, ad or infomercial?”, FineLine, April 1991), used a front page of the Philadelphia Daily News as an example. Responding is Daily News editor, Zachary Stalberg.
. . . Your April newsletter insinuated that "Miller Time," the main headline on the front page of the March 8, 1991 Philadelphia Daily News, was nothing more than a promotion for Miller beer.
The slogan "Miller Time" entered the vernacular a long time ago. That headline, a reference to our coverage of the first joyous troops returning from the Persian Gulf, was in the finest tradition of Daily News headlines. It provoked a smile and recognized common emotions.
. . . The news editor who wrote the headline had no idea that a Miller High Life promotion appeared deep inside the newspaper. (Editor’s Note: An ad on page 28 of the same issue promoted a contest sponsored by Miller High Life and the Philadelphia Daily News.)
It amazes me that a publication supposedly about journalism ethics failed to call us for our side of the story. And I think it was FineLine’s obligation to point out that the reporter who wrote the story works for a competing — albeit related newspaper.
Source: FineLine: The Newsletter On Journalism Ethics, vol. 3, no. 6 (June 1991), p. 5.
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October 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
The editor or writter of he story should have cheaked and reaseached on the stories title, to see if it would have a different impossed meaning of “Miller Time”. If reasearch was taken action on, it would have found that its a slogan was an alcohol brand. Personally, I knew that “Miller Time” was a slogan for an alcohol beverage. Better judgement was key, which was apperently it was lacking in this mishap.