How can News Corp call its gas splash an ‘exclusive’ and a ‘special report’ when it’s paid for by industry? | Adam Morton

Readers led to believe a short-on-facts advertorial exhorting government to let companies extract more gas is straight news coverage

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The big news on Monday morning was that the story splashed across the front of News Corp's biggest-selling tabloid newspapers wasn't news at all. It was an advertorial paid for by a fossil fuel industry. Not that readers glancing at page one of the Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier-Mail or Adelaide Advertiser were let in on this secret.

Instead, they were sold a lie - that the story was straight news coverage, in some cases described as an exclusive" or a special report", on how (in the words of the Courier-Mail) Australia must step on the gas" as it was the only way to avoid higher bills, blackouts".

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