News from the scandalous PR advertisement in the Walliser Boten (Swiss Press Online 2014, by Kurt Marti) - Swiss Press Award

Www.infosperber.ch

Kurt Marti

In August 2012, infosperber.ch reported on a full-page advertisement in the Walliser Boten (WB) in which the Mengis publishing house offered its clients its "in-house authors and editors" as advertising and PR professionals. Media lawyer Peter Studer described the advertisement as "scandalous." The story was picked up by print media and by radio SRF 4. There was widespread outrage over the audacity of the Mengis publishing house and the WB editorial team—who silently accepted this. At the time, the Mengis publishing house denied that its editors also worked in PR and advertising and accused me on persönlich.com of having "maliciously orchestrated" the incident. On November 23, 2013, I pointed out on infosperber.ch that Luzius Theler, the long-time deputy editor-in-chief of the WB and correspondent for the NZZ, had written and edited numerous advertising brochures and PR books for various clients.