Guardian 'changed Iraq article to avoid offending Apple'
Guardian facing series of allegations from insiders over its relationship with advertisers, including suggestions that it changed an article on Iraq amid concerns that Apple would object
The Guardian is accused of changing a story on its website to avoid offending Apple Photo: Julian Simmonds
By Daily Telegraph reporter
4:19PM GMT 20 Feb 2015
The Guardian is facing questions over its relationship with advertisers after allegations that it changed a news article amid concerns about offending Apple.
The media organisation has criticised The Telegraph for failing to observe the "Chinese wall" between advertising and editorial coverage, a claim The Telegraph strongly denies.
However, The Telegraph can disclose that in July last year Apple bought wraparound advertising on The Guardian's website and stipulated that the advertising should not be placed next to negative news.
A Guardian insider said that the headline of an article about Iraq on The Guardian's website was changed amid concerns about offending Apple, and the article was later removed from the home page entirely.
The insider said: "If editorial staff knew what was happening here they would be horrified."
The Guardian declined to comment on the specific allegation, but said: "It is never the case that editorial content is changed to meet stipulations made by an advertiser."
The spokesman added: "Apple, in common with other advertisers, sometimes choose to make stipulations about the type of content their ads appear around. If the content on the home page does not meet stipulations, the ad would be removed." Apple declined to comment.
The Telegraph also understands that there are concerns within The Guardian about funded journalism on its website.
It confirmed that it is in discussions with the European Climate Foundation "regarding the funding of journalism projects". The foundation lobbies for climate and energy policies to reduce emissions.
The Guardian is facing further questions over a section of its website sponsored by the Go Ultra Low Group, a group of vehicle manufacturers promoting low-emission vehicles.
The section includes 11 articles devoted to the benefits of low-emission cars, including one entitled "miles of smiles" and another "driving into tomorrow, today".
At no point do the sections or the article disclose that the content has been sponsored by the Go Ultra Low Group, a £2.5 million campaign supported by seven international car manufacturers.
The Telegraph website also carries content produced in association with Go Ultra Low. However, it carries a statement indicating the relationship between its own articles and the car campaign at the top of the page.
The omission represents an apparent contradiction of The Guardian's own editorial guidelines on sponsored content.
Written in February last year – just one month before the Guardian's Go Ultra Low articles first appeared – they state: “The presentation of the content makes clear how the content has been commissioned and produced, and who has funded it.
"One of three labels will appear on this content: 'Sponsored by'; 'Brought to you by'; or 'Supported by'.”
The Guardian said that the sponsor label for the section on low emission cars was "removed in error" two weeks ago when its website was updated and that it would be removing the content.
The Guardian is facing questions over section of website which failed to disclose a sponsor
The Guardian has also been criticised by its own correspondents over its advertising deals.
In April 2014, The Guardian signed a "seven-figure" deal with Unilever, the consumer goods giant, which it said was "centred on the shared values of sustainable living and open storytelling".
However George Monbiot, a Guardian columnist, described it as "another step down the primrose path".
In an article for The Guardian, he said: "Almost every political agent – including some of the NGOs that once opposed them – is in danger of being loved to death by these companies."
A Guardian spokesman said: "George Monbiot, and indeed all of our journalists, are free to – and often do – challenge the activities of companies and organisations that are also our advertisers and sponsors."
The Telegraph has also obtained a copy of a Guardian presentation from November 2012 detailing a Guardian partnership with Air New Zealand entitled "Blind Gate".
The presentation states: "We'd push for maximum Editorial support across our platforms
"E.g. the Editor of Guardian Weekend Magazine has agreed that the Blind Gate couples could feature in our Blind Date feature in subsequent weeks."
A copy of a Guardian document detailing its sponsorship deal with Air New Zealand
An article subsequently appeared on the Guardian website as part of its "Blind Date series", stating at the bottom that the couple featured "flew to LA courtesy of Air New Zealand".
A Guardian spokesman claimed that "all content relating to Blind Gate is clearly labelled as being produced 'in association with Air New Zealand'."
However, the Blind Gate section of the website does not explicitly state that the entire section is sponsored by Air New Zealand.
