In a recent Rifftides posting, I wrote:
It must be tempting, if you own a newspaper, to break down the traditional separation between the news side of the paper and the advertising department. There are plenty of advertisers eager for credibility they think will come from a more direct connection with news content, and there are plenty of good reasons why a breakdown of separation is a bad idea for a news organization.
DevraDowrite is also distrubed by the apparent trend toward a melding of news and advertising and alerts us to another step down what she correctly calls a slippery slope. To read her post and follow her link to further information, go here.