As a journalist, and one with an admittedly purist mindset, events like
Scott Burgess' resignation over The Detroit News' siding with an advertiser's scorn for a car review doesn't sit well with me.
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| 2011 Chrysler 200 Sedan (Chrysler Group LLC photo) |
This case in particular seems worse. It's not like a
Jeremy Clarkson or even a
Dan Neil review, which, while well-written, usually require readers to take many things with a grain of salt. Burgess doesn't have that reputation, and this frank and honest review of the
2011 Chrysler 200, published March 10, was pretty fair. But an advertiser that does business with the paper disagreed, essentially giving editors the choice of a
editing the review to remove some unfavorable opinions or losing his ad dollars.
For those out of the loop, the Chrysler 200 is a moderately refreshed version of the Chrysler Sebring, one of the worst products to come out of Chrysler under Daimler's rule and one of the big reasons Chrysler fell on its face during the financial crisis. Under Fiat's stewardship, a renamed version with a new V6, new styling and interior changes has just hit showrooms.
More recognizable to non-auto types, it's the car Eminiem drives in the much-viewed "Imported from Detroit" commercial Chrysler premiered at the Super Bowl.
