User:Ms Sarah Welch/sandbox/Paid news and private treaties

"Paid news" is the practice through which organizations (for-profit and non-profit), public figures/celebrities, politicians, political parties, brands/movies pay cash or equivalent to a media group or television channel or a newspaper or a magazine or a journalist, to be in the news, for sustained positive coverage, and to avoid negative coverage. This is either a limited time payment(s) or a contract.

"Private treaties" (also called "brand capital agreements" or "strategic agreements" by Indian media groups ) are signed, long term private confidential agreements between a person or party or organization and a media group or television channel or newspaper or magazine. A private treaty gives an equity position, or equivalent ownership/commission/payment interest to the media group/owners. Such an agreement financially benefits the media outlet, in exchange for manufactured/plugged news, create positive coverage/buzz and avoid negative coverage over the period of contract.

This is a widespread practice in India and has been a growing phenomenon over "six decades", according to a 2010 investigation by the Press Council of India, their official media ethics watchdog (1, p. 4). A similar phenomenon termed brown envelop journalism is found in Africa, and equivalents exist elsewhere.

Media groups, newspapers, magazines and news websites that publish paid news, or private treaties, or both – with or without disclosing such relationships or unclear disclosure – are listed below. Sourcing any content from these sources may raise the same concerns that the wikipedia community has with "paid editing" and "conflict of interest". (See Ongoing discussion)

Private treaties

 * Indian media groups enter into private treaties with companies, movies, celebrities and others, thereby gaining financial interests in their future income or equity. For example, according to the Press Council of India, the Times Group entered into a private treaty with the Pantaloon group – later rebranded as the Future Group – and published articles that appear to be paid news. However, in the articles themselves (1, 2, etc), the media group did not disclose that the article may be a paid news, or the private treaty, or any agreement between the two, or that it has a financial interest in Pantaloon or Future Group. In December 2009, two of the Times Group publications boasted of their private treaty success story under an ad titled "How to perform the Great Indian Rope Trick".

A

 * Aaj (Reason: PCI Report )
 * Amar Ujala (Reason: PCI Report )

B

 * Bangalore Mirror (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Bombay Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )

C

 * Calcutta Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * CNN-IBN (Reason: brand paid news plugged in as features, interviews and panel discussions )

D

 * Dainik Aaj, (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath )
 * Dainik Hindustan, (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath, PCI Report )
 * Dainik Bhaskar (Reason: PCI Report )
 * Dainik Jagran, (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath, PCI Report )
 * Delhi Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )

E

 * ET Now (Reason: part of The Times Group )

F

 * Femina (India) (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Filmfare (Reason: part of The Times Group )

H

 * Hindustan, (Reason: part of the HT Media group )
 * Hindustan Times, (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath )

M

 * Maharashtra Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Mirror Now (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * MN+ (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Movies Now (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Mumbai Mirror (Reason: part of The Times Group )

N

 * Navbharat Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * NavGujarat Samay (Reason: part of The Times Group )

O

 * Outlook (Indian magazine) (Reason: Admission by its C.E.O. )

P

 * Parag (magazine) (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Prabhat Khabar (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath, PCI Report )
 * Punjab Kesari (Reason: PCI Report )
 * Purvanchal Ki Raahi (Reason: part of the HT Media group, P. Sainath )

R

 * Romedy Now (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Rashtriya Sahara (Reason: PCI Report )

T

 * The Economic Times (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * The Illustrated Weekly of India (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * The Times of India (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Times Now (Reason: part of The Times Group )

V

 * Vijaya Karnataka (Reason: part of The Times Group )
 * Voice of Lucknow (Reason: PCI Report )

Z

 * Zoom (Reason: part of The Times Group )