It included an ad for Aventis Pharmaceuticals' Allegra, one for GlaxoWellcome's Flonaze, and a four-page spread by Pfizer. Dozens of other products were plugged repeatedly in the advertorial's pseudo-news copy. But according to the American Lung Association, pollution of various kinds is much of the story. Nor did the supplement address the class and race gradient of asthma, which has become a growing affliction for black and other inner-city children. Public health and prevention, not just expensive pharmaceuticals and treatment after the fact, would have been a major part of the reporting.
Drug companies saturate the media with their ads.
It's hard to believe that the Times really needs pseudo-news sections like this one to attract such advertising. Yes, the sophisticated reader will know that all this material is really just one big ad. But it's no accident that the advertisers try to disguise their sales pitches as something as close to news copy as the Times will allow. And in this case, instead of drawing a bright line between news and paid propaganda, the Times works with them to abet that impulse. It kind of takes your breath away.