Interesting reply and might be of interest to those who found the article out of place… Hi Joe, This article was something of an anomaly compared to our regular editorial in that it was written and received very late in our production cycle, and the tone of the article was not at all what we had expected. We did try to edit it some so as not to sound like an advertisement, but there was only so much we could do so late in the game.* * ** We initially became interested in the product after Peter Reid, Lori Bowden and the U.S. Postal Team used it to great result. Still, the article itself did not truly reflect the wishes of our editorial staff and, due to lack of time and little mobility with cutting or moving pages, the article you read was the result. * * ** I can assure you, however, that an article of this nature will never again grace the pages of Triathlete. ** ** I appreciate your readership and hope you will continue to turn to Triathlete for reliable information from expert sources. We truly strive to put out the best product possible every month. * * Thank you, Meredith
Original E-mail:
While the article was interesting… I am curious why you wouldn’t make an appropriate disclaimer that the author of the article is also the CEO of the company whose product is advocated. This seems like a potential bias and conflict that not only dilutes the value of the article but puts to question the integrity of your magazine. Perhaps it would be in your own best interest ot evaluate placing articles without proper disclaimers. This would (at best) also add credibility to your magazines as a source of useful and unbiased information. Until then, we have an advertisement printed under the pretexted of an informative article. Joe Moya
The “biobuilde issue” was the very first Trathlete magazine I recieved after subscriping to the mag. I was disgusted with the blantant breach of ethical journalism. seriously. Hey I am a capitalist , caveat emptor and all that but they obviosly crossed the line. Not having the time to edit properly, or insert a simple ***Advertisement *** banner is lame at best.
In 5 minutes at google I dug up this on the Biobuilde CEO:
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/phillips.html
David Ira Minkoff, M.D., who testified on Phillips’s behalf, is also in serious trouble. On August 3, 2001, the Florida Board of Medicine fined him $10,000 and suspended his license for one year, to be followed by two years of probation – unless he successfully appeals the decision . Minkoff, a Scientologist, was implicated in the death of Lisa McPherson, a Scientologist who allegedly died of malnutrition while in the custody of other Scientologists. Documents in the case indicate that even though Minkoff had never met McPherson, he prescribed sedative medication by telephone to Church of Scientology staff members who had called on her behalf. Although admitting no guilt, Minkoff reached a $100,000 settlement in 1997 in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by McPherson’s estate .
I hate doc’s like that…I have a client who only does IME’s and is at the plantiffs side on every med-mal he can squander into…my guess is he was last in his class at what ever med school he went to in the Dominican Republic.
I received the same exact reply from a similar email.
yup…and what about the “dead doctors dont lie” audio tape…dr. timmothy wallach animal vet claimed that drinking his colloidal minerals from an ancient hay field in wyoming would cure every disease from kidney stones to baldness…talk about a quack…and people are still drinking that shiiiat.
Sounds like yet another catalog disguising itself as a magazine.
Very common these days.
The more I looked at this issue of Triathlete Mag., the more & more it’s becoming one big advertisement:
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“Dear Coach” article written by Paul Huddle & Roch Frey. Next page in the mag - Full Page ad for www.Multisports.com
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Feature article on Coach Troy Jacobson. Right in the middle of the article, a 1/2 page ad for www.coachtroy.com
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“Building Blocks” article written by Mark Allen. Very next page after article, full page ad for www.MarkAllenOnline.com
Also interesting was the ad for Damage Control Multi-vitamins. A while back Slowman wrote an article about aging & training and stated that the best thing an athlete can take is Damage Control Master Formula. He also stated that Mark Sisson, owner of Master formula, is a cheap bastard and does not sponsor Slowtwitch.com. In the ad both Dan & Julieanne are quoted on how great this stuff is. Free endorsement? Probably not.
The world of journalism & advertising is very blurry.
I don’t have a problem with contributing writers advertising their services. The Coach Troy article seemed a little borderline, but nothing compared to the BioBuilde fiasco.
I’m not sure I buy Triathlete’s reply. I mean, they knew who they were getting to write the article! Of course it was going to be biased!
“I received the same exact reply from a similar email.”
I figured this much… generic reply. No way did I think I was special… but, it does seem to indicate they have recieved a lot of correspondence regarding this issue.
Joe Moya
I give them credit for admitting their mistake in their email response. Thanks for posting it. People do make mistakes (in this case a very blatant one), and I’m willing to forgive them if they take responsibility. Hopefully they’ll do the same in the next issue, at least in the letters to the editor section.
BUT, Trimichael points out how pervasive is their editorial practice of printing ads alongside endorsements posing as articles. For this to happen three times in one issue reveals an editorial strategy, not an isolated mistake made under pressure of a deadline. I find this FAR more disturbing than standard practice of simply “reviewing” new products (typically only those by advertisers) in an invariably favorable light. In Triathlete’s case, the articles themselves I read are now dependent on ad sales, and any possibility of objective portrayals of important topics like protein intake, or the best sources thereof, flies out the window.
The magazine has until the end of my current subscription to change its practices or else lose my support. Very disappointing.
I sent the url of this post to the Triathlete “editors”. I doubt anything will change. They have their business model.
I am just frustrated that triathlon is (mis?)represented by such a slimy rag. I think a lot of people defend their practices because of the exposure it gives to the sport. I have no use for this advertising circular . I mine as well go read the LLBean catalog.