Independence from owners and management is strongly supported. However, in practice, newsroom operation is not free from linkages with the advertising and sales department. This link with advertising and sales seems to be done at the level of senior desk staff, while reporters claim that the advertising and sales department’s operation is separate from the newsroom.
With subscriptions dipping and the share of advertising revenue declining, some say it is a matter of survival, not a matter of growth and profitability. It seems that important stories do not get killed by advertising concerns, but some stories do get carried due to the public relations demands of certain parties and corporations. In the case of critical stories, advertising pressure cannot completely kill the news but can influence the size or tone of the story. Interviewees said that that front-page news is protected from such influence.
Divisions covering industry and business often initiate a story and ask specific sponsors to buy the story by paying a special sponsorship. Major newspapers have several awards set up (e.g., the best investment banker of the year, creative business of the year) and indirectly ask for sponsorship to those selected. They may say this is totally separate from editorial decisions, but it is highly likely that the opposite is true.
