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Hidden Advertising – In Whose Interest Is It?

17 April 2018
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A media outlet, in order to become a business, should broadcast as much advertising as possible. However, advertising materials differ completely from the journalistic ones. The former express certain interests (economic or political) of the customer, who pays to promote his products (or image). Journalistic materials address topics from the point of view of the public interest, operating with different sources and informing without bias. In order for the reader to be able to see what they are, advertising materials are usually marked with the letter P in a circle.
But this rule does not always work. Sometimes, media outlets resort to the so called hidden advertising. For instance, we read an interview with a politician and understand that it has been paid for, but this thing is not indicated anywhere.
Who benefits from placing camouflaged advertisements – the advertiser or the media outlet? Who is interested in making the reader mistake an advertisement for a journalistic material? What does the law say about hidden advertising and what does the code of conduct recommend? The journalist Anastasia Nani, the host of the 72nd edition of the “Media Azi” [Media Today] talk show, discussed this topic with her guests – Viorica Zaharia, the president of the Press Council, and Eugen Rîbca, the director of the MoldStreet portal.

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“Media Azi” broadcast is weekly produced by the Independent Journalism Center. It is intended to disclose the problems faced at present by the journalists of the domestic media and to identify solutions to hem. The broadcast may be viewed on the websites www.moldova-azi.md, www.media-azi.md and mediacritica.md, as well as on the Youtube channel of the Independent Journalism Center. 
The broadcast was produced with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, provided by the means of the Embassy of Sweden in Chisinau.