Advertorial ‘media pirates’ set sale for Maldives

The ‘journalists’ approach senior members of government and key businesspeople, usually in an emerging country desperate to expand its appeal to foreign investors, and leverage one personality against another over several weeks to sell the ‘advertorial’ at a premium.

A circulated report on the ethically-dubious but not illegal practice, produced by the Financial Times newspaper and obtained by Minivan News, observes that “appointments are made with the inference that the team, usually a young man purporting to be a journalist and an attractive sales lady, represent whatever title they are selling when in fact they are purely acting for themselves.

“The pitch may start with a highly scripted, enthusiastic and rehearsed ‘interview’ conducted by the journalist and then switching to the soft sales approach of the sales lady. This combined ‘interview’ is intended to flatter and to act as a ‘hook’ and at this point space sizes or rates are produced followed by a contract of dubious legality for a signature.”