Last week several staff members raised the issue of advertising
encroaching on editorial space with the House Committee. In particular,
concern was raised at the use of the Drive masthead to promote a
wrap-around ad for a new model four wheel drive. Members of the
committee held a series of meetings with the editor Andrew Jaspan and
the new display advertising manager, David Hoath. David, who has not
been long in the job, did not authorise the ads. He agreed that they
overstepped the boundaries. In future it has been agreed that Andrew
and David will liaise with the House Committee when controversial
advertising/editorial issues arise. The House Committee reaffirmed its
commitment to ensuring that advertisements should be clearly labelled
and use their own fonts and not editorial logos or type. The House
Committee recognises the need for The Age to develop new revenue
streams to minimise the need for cost cutting but we are closely
monitoring any new “developments” to protect the paper’s integrity.