Ugh Another Fairfax Media Trip Report!

[SighMN]

There are a few things that cause me to rant, and one of them is seeing trip reports by people who were paid by the airline. The most recent report is in Fairfax Media websites (Airlines reviews | Flight test: Emirates business class). How come this sort of thing is acceptable in journalism? Of course there is going to be a conflict of interest and no objectivity in the report! Its almost just like a paid advertisement by the airline to get into a newspaper for the price of an airfare.


Not only that, but after the superficial report this lady travel "journalist" does, when you click on the pictures they are just stock Emirates pictures probably given by her by Emirates press department.

UGGGH!

[Major]

It's not just Fairfax. All of the reviews in the travel section of the Sunday papers appear to be biased. This includes hotels, resorts, airlines, cruises etc.

I read them to see if I would like to go there, but basically ignore them and do my own research.

[markis10]

I would rather see an upfront admission a trip was paid for then a story based on content stolen from elsewhere.

[djfuzz]

Not only that, but after the superficial report this lady travel "journalist" does, when you click on the pictures they are just stock Emirates pictures probably given by her by Emirates press department.

This is what frustrates me the most. As you mentioned, the reviews are very pedestrian, but they always use the stock photos instead of using the most basic tool of new media, their own cameras. It's not like posting photos taken by them on their journey would necessarily prejudice the airline in any way - if anything, it would add value to the review.

But it's not just reviews - any time there's an article about the 787 or A380, despite there being a new development (which could easily have new photos to accompany them) they trot out galleries of the same old stock photos from prior to the launch, adding zero value and turning interested readers completely off it.

My response has been to enable Click to Flash so that they are not rewarded for recycling trash.

[SighMN]

I just looked at that article further and noticed a huge mistake! The first photo has a caption of "Recline in a glossy walnut-panelled private suite in Emirates A380 business class. Photo: AFP" when it is obviously a first class seat! So I'm wondering if she even really traveled in the cabin! I mean what the heck!

[BAM1748]

I go straight to read the letters section, much more up front. Travel reviews are a con in general. (I must work out how to get into the business so I can get all the freebies without having the need to do any work)

Care reviews are often the same, unless it's Top Gear.

[rechoboam]

I get really annoyed by this. Why? The oh-so-moral newspapers particularly Fairfax have managed to convince the community that if a drug company so much as gives a pen to a doctor the medical profession will be totally corrupted. Then they let big corporations entertain them with no limit whatsoever. I don't think they even realise the hypocrisy.

[odysseus]

I would rather see an upfront admission a trip was paid for then a story based on content stolen from elsewhere.

That's done in this case though - they always say if it's paid by the airline or themselves.

I don't really see the issue here. I can't imagine they'd bother doing any reviews if they had to spend $8,000 on some short notice business airfare, just for the sake of a review. Sure, this outcome isn't as pure as if they paid themselves, but they disclose what it's about so you can make your own mind up about it and given a choice between that and no review, I think that's the best compromise. Particularly as the review itself doesn't result in extra revenue for the newspaper, so would just be a cost.

It's also not unique to airlines; any expensive thing is usually done with samples e.g. car reviews. If a specialist gets enough income they can pay for it themselves, but where it's not a core part of their business, doing it this way makes sense.

[rechoboam]

Believe me it's not just reviews that involve freebies. Influential journalists are recipients of huge amounts of hospitality, sometimes worth thousands of dollars (you may have seen small disclaimers), while a drug company that gives me a pen to sign a form actually asks for it to be returned because it would be considered a gift that has to be documented with a government agency informed. mostly thanks to newspapers like the Sunday Age.

[nlagalle]

I just looked at that article further and noticed a huge mistake! The first photo has a caption of "Recline in a glossy walnut-panelled private suite in Emirates A380 business class. Photo: AFP" when it is obviously a first class seat! So I'm wondering if she even really traveled in the cabin! I mean what the heck!

Looks like it has been updated to say First class now..

The thing to remember (I am not justifying Fairfax or the journo here either) is that the journalist will only write the story. Sub Editors are responsible for layout the page (or web page). with text and images. The journalist doesn't select the images or how the words are cut to fit. Quite often they won't even see the finished piece until you do (most won't have access to see pages).