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Even College Newspapers are Struggling
"We will not be selling these kinds of ads as long as I remain the editor of this news paper," Daily Bruin Editor Anthony Pesce wrote in a note today. He's talking about the full-page ad for Haagen-Dazs wrapped around today's front page that was "specifically designed by a clever marketing department to fool you into thinking - if only for a few seconds - that my staff wrote the content that appeared on the front page." He and the newspaper's board--keep in mind, UCLA does not have a journalism department--talked about why the ad appeared in the first place: "The reality of our financial situation is grim, and the fact of the matter is that we would have been forced to cut thousands of dollars from an ever-tightening budget if we had not run this advertisement." Some staff tried to forfeit their pay in lieu of having the ad, but not everyone was able to take the cut. (Via LAObserved)
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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