| Until its recent bankruptcy, Elephant Pharmacy was the Berkeley Daily Planet’s largest advertiser. At reputable newspapers there is a solid wall between advertisers and content editors, but not at the Berkeley Daily Planet. When Elephant Pharmacy founder, Stuart Skorman, published a book on his entrepreneurial experience, he was allowed to promote it in the Berkeley Daily Planet in the fashion of a book review (February 27, 2007). Skorman reviewed his own book favorably |
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Shuttered up and bankrupt, advertising in the Daily Planet did not help Elephant Pharmacy. |
In accordance with accepted practice, such a promotion taking the form and look of a news article should have been encased in a line with the words “Paid Advertisement.” Similarly, a routine break in at the Elephant Pharmacy rated an article of its own rather than a brief mention in the “Police Blotter,” like any other Berkeley break in. In fact, it received more coverage than most local murders. Finally, turning to the August 5, 2005 issue, a puff piece was written about Elephant Pharmacy, in effect an ad.
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