Auto Journalism: Where are the ethics?

On his blog, Joe Clark of Toronto tackles the thorny issue of ethics in auto journalism, and specifically he takes on The Toronto Star, where I'm published. It wasn't easy to read his entry from my chair, but overall, when it comes to the industry in general, he's right. You can read it by clicking here.

The problem of objective reporting turning into an advertorial crops up any time a product or service is reviewed, but automobiles and travel are the most likely to come under fire, and usually with good reason. That's quite the photo I've posted here. That's the resort where I stayed when I was on the launch of a family vehicle -- one that starts at $20,000. The people who buy the vehicle will probably never set foot in a place like that in all their lives.

I like to think that I do write objectively about the vehicles, no matter what the automaker does, but the public doesn't see it that way, and they shouldn't. I also know a few writers who never met a car they didn't like, because they never met a press trip they didn't like. Some of the old boys quiver with righteous indignation if people like Clark suggest that they have a price, but the fact is, some do. Many of the automakers have eliminated gifts on press trips, which didn't go over too well with some of them. (Mark Richardson, the editor mentioned in the story -- my boss -- tried to pass a ruling a couple of years ago with the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada that no member would accept gifts from automakers. It was voted down.)

I am the first to admit that I benefit from the perks of my job, and that I'm also guilty of non-ethical behavior. I've travelled to places I normally would never have a chance to visit (and Clark failed to note that the journalist, not the car company, keeps the frequent flier miles). I have kept many of the gifts. I have stayed in hotels and resorts I could never afford, eaten in restaurants I could never visit otherwise. That's the way this game is set up. It's not right. But short of quitting my job, I honestly don't know how to fix the system. I really don't. I wish I knew the answer.