What you would normally call "promotional content" has taken on a whole new meaning at Yedioth Ahronoth and on its online news portal Ynet. They would probably call it: "Dear readers, we want to fool you so that we rake in more cash." On Thursday, the financial newspaper TheMarker ran a story highlighting the problematic partnership between Yedioth Ahronoth's financial supplement, Mamon, and Israel's food giants. According to the story, just several months after leaving the paper, the supplement's editor was tapped by the food industry to run its public relations operations, with a compensation totaling as much NIS 4 million ($1.2 million). As part of the campaign, Yedioth Ahronoth was to run editorial content (read: promotional content) that was to shore up the image of the food industry, which has taken a beating because the public had been protesting the high cost of living. In other words, if anyone was under the false impression that Yedioth was combating the high cost of living, think again. It now wants prices to remain high. This report dovetails with another TheMarker piece about how the "food giants plan to spend between NIS 2 to NIS 4 million ($578,000 to $1.16 million) in an effort to boost their image because it was dealt a heavy blow in the wake of the 2011 social justice protests. Among the corporations that have signed off on this campaign are the Strauss Group, Coca-Cola, Osem Investments Ltd., Unilever and Tara. They hope this campaign will push back the government's efforts to reform the industry and lower prices; they believe their campaign will highlight the government's role in the high cost of living." TheMarker writes: "This campaign will feature articles, op-eds, and other pieces. According to some sources, the campaign was kicked off by Yedioth's leisure supplement, Maslul, which recommended an excursion to the food giants' various visitor centers ... and it was evident on Independence Day, when the paper had a special supplement that featured puff pieces on the big food manufacturers. ... The Independence Day supplement told readers that it was an assortment of food-related articles, recipes and interviews with chefs that was made possible in collaboration with the Food Industries Association (it did so on its front page). It was not so easy to tell which articles that were written by or with the help of the food companies and which were just regular journalistic work. ... The puff pieces mentioned brand names and various companies, including Strauss, Osem, Telma, Angel Bakeries, Hashachar Haoleh chocolate spread, Manamim wafers, Tnuva's Emek cheese, Crystal beverages, Milky and Nesher Malt. Another piece included interviews with employees in the food industry. There were also crossword puzzles on the food corporations and a children's section with various drawing activities." "Yedioth Ahronoth collaborates with many commercial enterprises, which translates into editorial pieces," TheMarker noted. The piece also informed readers that Yedioth's reporting has been consistently against "structural changes in the Israeli economy and reforms that could hurt the big corporations and other economic heavyweights. The paper's chief economic correspondent Sever Plocker recently penned a column and attacked the public's preoccupation with the cost of living, saying that prices were not everything; he said that these trends could hurt the corporations' profits and the workers' salaries. The Manufacturers Association of Israel denied that it had anything to do with these editorial pieces." Only a few days earlier, on April 28, 2014, the media watchdog The Seventh Eye provided a fascinating glimpse into Yedioth's collaboration with corporations. It quoted the former chief editor at Ynet, who said that the site had been "moving at break-neck speed when it comes to the nexus of sponsored and editorial content, although it has struck a balance between the two." The current editor, who has been appointed about a year ago, went a step further, saying that he "allows sponsored content in all possible venues, except when it comes to news articles." As a former Ynet employee told Israel Hayom, "Ynet has essentially become a telemarketing hub." The Seventh Eye writes that "Ynet's transformation and its inability to balance the two is easily noticeable if you browse Ynet." The news portal has a list of articles, tabs, sections and other ostensibly "objective" news items: Ynet's Business and Finance section has over the years become one of its main powerhouses for subliminal advertising. In many cases, these pieces fail to properly disclose their promotional content. For example, the section called "Investments and Savings," which is part of Ynet's financial hub, has many pieces that include sponsored content. These serve as de facto ads for Psagot Investment House. "Ynet also has another portal called The Professionals, a promotional Yellow Pages of sorts that often has a print supplement and which run as a joint venture with other investors," TheMarker said. "It is funded by user premiums. ... Other sections, like the Green Economy and Sustainability section in Business and Finance are run in collaboration with Shari Arison and her various enterprises, like Shikun & Binui. There is also Global Money, where 'experts' who work at Arison's Bank Hapoalim dispense advice and finally, there is Small Businesses, whose content is created in collaboration with Bank Hapoalim. Ynet does mention that the content is brought to the readers by the Arison Group but it never elaborates on the nature of their collaboration," TheMarker says. But it doesn't end there. TheMarker says that there is Women Outdoors -- another promotional content hub run by Ynet's tourism section -- organizes tours for women under the auspices of a company that has expertise in this niche ... and there is Bed & Breakfast and Domestic Tourism, which offers various package deals and semi-editorial reviews on the accommodations. That section is also sponsored by other elements, and there is no mention of the nature of this content. " And there are more examples. Everything is fair game there; most of it lacks transparency. And of course, we have yet to mention the collaboration with government ministries that are pro-Yedioth (in exchange for money, of course). * * * Yes, advertising is the print media's main source of revenue. But let's not fool readers -- editorial content is supposed to be journalism. Advertising is a legitimate way to make money, but "promotional content"? If you run it, you must mention that it consists of sponsored content, not journalism. Have Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet crossed a red line? Do they want the innocent readers to think that they are reading objective pieces without realizing that they are actually being manipulated by an ad? Does this not bother any MK or cabinet minister? Is this the paper you would like to buy -- even after the sponsored content for the subliminal advertising has been paid for in full-
