Yet it keeps its front page pristine. So does the outlandish New York Post . A retail sales manager at the San Francisco Chronicle cackles when asked if her publication's front page is for sale. An advertising representative for the Houston Chronicle is similarly bemused. Ads appear at the top of pages.
Ads float in the center of the stock tables.
Massive sections are devoted not to critical or relevant reportage but to sycophantic promotion of the real estate and automotive industries. Yet, at most papers, Page One remains a bastion of editorial piety, the cradle of the vital news of the day, the last line of defense against the insidious buck. The only page more hallowed is the editorial page. I've heard of no Gannett plan to begin marketing ads there, though the Republic began selling ads on its op-ed page several years ago. With its vending of Page One, the Republic has dashed all pretense of editorial integrity.