Ok, this is not a revelation but it’s worth reflecting on. During the latest edition of the cyclingnews.com / Pro Cycling magazine podcast, Anthony Tan says:
“advertising, to our detriment, gets precedence over often editorial“.
Tan was quickly muted by his journalist colleagues.
But let’s not extrapolate from one remark over a dinner conversation. Instead I’d like to use this to make a broader point for the media today. Cycling is a niche market and attracts niche advertisers. It certainly lacks the deep pockets to fund investigation and other longer term assignments but this is true of the mainstream media too.
Indeed, I won’t criticise many journalists in the sport, things have improved massively in recent years. The podcast I refer to represents this chance, we can clearly hear a range of views being aired, this is not an advertorial recording.
In the past few questions would be asked but this is no longer the case. Only a few dinosaurs of denial remain.