The power of the advertiser on the media is a threat to a free press

HONG KONG Writing in the South China Morning Post, columnist Stephen Vines discusses the pressure put on the media by businesses and media consultants. The threat of the withdrawal of advertising has been used for years to attempt to influence editors to suppress hostile stories. Such efforts are dumb, Vines writes. But are they successful?

As an ex-editor of an advertising reliant free publication in the UK, I can report that such pressure has been used in this country too. Sadly, many times the bullying advertisers or their agents have succeeded. One local dealer for an international car brand had me removed from my post because he took exception to an unfavourable review I gave one of his models.

The publisher was a small company that could ill afford to lose the regular income from the car manufacturer's local man and chose to cave in rather than stand and fight. Editors are easily replaceable, big-spending advertisers have to be fought hard for.