On Saturday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had a blunt message: mask up, or face a $200 fine.
For retailers, the order was a big boost. Reusable masks sold out, websites crashed and shoppers stripped shelves of fabric and sewing machines in a rush to create DIY alternatives.
But for news.com.au, one of Australia’s most-read news websites, the latest health order was more than a news story. It was a commercial opportunity.
With its top story on Sunday focusing on Victoria’s new mask rule, the Murdoch-owned website was also running a listicle featuring reusable masks for sale — but you had to read the fine print indicating news.com.au “may receive an affiliate commission” if readers bought a mask via the link.
Flicking through the article, it was hard not to feel like it was one long advertisement.
After running through the announcement, and why wearing face masks was important, it listed available masks, their prices, available discounts and a helpful “shop here” link.
Affiliate links provide a small commission to the publisher when a reader clicks through and makes a purchase.
Such practices are increasingly common in a media industry where advertising dollars have fallen away and times are increasingly tight. At BuzzFeed, affiliate links have become core revenue.
When asked whether it was appropriate to be making money off the new mask order, news.com.au editor Kate de Brito told Crikey the affiliate links had been added to the story in error.
“This story was incorrectly added to our affiliate content section. This has been reassigned to lifestyle. It still contains links but there is no revenue attached to these,” de Brito told Crikey.
By 11.32am on Monday, more than 12 hours after the story was originally published, and after Crikey’s inquiries, the story had been amended, and the affiliated content label gone.
On top of the affiliated content issue, the masks question seems to be causing a little confusion in the world of News Corp. In its Monday editorial, The Australian got behind masking up, and, unusually, tried to pre-emptively avoid a silly culture war:
Masks are a health issue, not a political issue, and should be treated as such. Victorian authorities must ensure masks are readily available to all.
But not everyone at News Corp got the memo. Over in the Herald Sun’s funny pages, columnist Andrew Bolt preached that the mask order was “lousy science”.
“Making Victorians wear a mask looks like taking action without killing more jobs,” he wrote.
With masks now set to become a key part of the next phase of our virus response, expect more bad takes, plenty of culture warring, and a side serve of sponsored content.
“Lousy science” as defined by Blot on the Political Landscape. That seals it?
He does have a use – the opposite of anything he sez is always correct.
Printed masks = marketing opportunity. No-one wore t-shirts with messages 45 years ago. Get those printed masks out there. Eg football team themes, food and drink ads, and a variety saying Bolt is a galah.
Actually people did wear tee-shirts with messages and slogans from circa ’72 DF – which will be evident from old photographs. However, as you point out, it is a 2nd industry now.
I put a few tips for the cheesehead on the M.Bradley article. Blot could pick up on them.
Why dont we send Bolt to America? He’d fit right in!
Happy to kick in for the ticket.
He “learned” his schtick interning for Russ Limbergercheese – he said he wanted to be just like him.
No doubt if Bolt says the science is bad it is likely 100% and being a science sort of person who researches this sort of stuff on a daily basis, I know he is full of crap. The science at the moment would indicate that you could almost stop the transmission if everyone who could wear a mask did. BY and large mask wearing cultures have done better at containing outbreaks. We could also tell the AHA to get nicked and close the beer barns which have proven disastrous for NSW.
The countries that have been successful at suppressing (not eliminating) the virus have excellent (1) tracing and (2) isolation methods. Even a N95 (or 99) mask does not come with a 100% guarantee of isolation. Moreover, at best, the mask is only superficially useful if the wearer is infected. Running about with a mask guarantees nothing.
Bolt is utterly incorrect on climate change but closer to being correct on this matter.