17% of marketers buy ads in return for news coverage

According to a survey from PRWeek and Manning Selvage & Lee Marketing, 17% of senior marketers say their companies have bought advertising in return for a news story. About 7% of respondents say they have an implicit agreement with a reporter or editor for favorable coverage. Carol Krol of BtoB Magazine calls this “a worrisome sign that independent editorial credibility is being sacrificed.”