On November 4, the South African financial daily Business Day published a 12-page insert “celebrating Mao’s revolution” in China. The supplement was labeled an “advertorial,” which didn’t go down well with some readers who felt it was misleading.
In a letter to the editor today, Richard McNeill, a reader from Noordhoek, wrote:
“To describe this propaganda as “advertorial” is to mislead your readers. By convention, “advertorial” implies editorial input, which while extolling the virtues of a product or service usually offers a certain amount of objectivity too. It is usually written by an actual journalist.
By no stretch of the imagination do these Chinese efforts to expand the reach and influence of China in vulnerable parts of the world such as Africa meet these standards. In future, please boldly label them what they are: advertisements.”
There are similar objections to Chinese propaganda inserts in U.S. newspapers as well, most notably the New York Times.
Read Richard McNeill’s complete letter to the editor on the Business Day website.
