An interesting article in today?s Telegraph when ?Motormouth?(Mike Rutherford) resisted the advances of high powered Ford PR men and wrote a pretty damning article on the new Fiesta.
Admittedly a subjective view, but there seems to be a correlation between the amount of advertising manufacturers place in newspapers and the level of praise a new model gets given by the motoring correspondent.
I wonder how much advertising the Telegraph will get when the Fiesta is launched in UK later this year.
Bob H
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Mike Rutherford's main column is in The News of the World and he also has a column in Auto Express. Quentin Willson said something similar about the Fiesta in The Daily Mirror on Friday. What has happened is the usual. A bunch of carefully selected journalist have been flown somewhere exotic to drive the new car. They play ball, or they don't get invited again. Think about international motor shows. Loads of British hacks have been at the Los Angeles Car Show and are about to go to the Detroit Show, then the Geneva Show in March. Who pays their plane fares and hotel bills? Definitely not them or the papers or tv companies they work for.
Why do you think I haven't been allowed anywhere near the new Fiesta? On the other hand, I have admired the concept and design of its greatest threat: the new Honda Jazz since I first found out about it. Honda knows that and I've been invited on the Jazz launch in Madrid (which will probably be snowbound) in a couple of weeks. That's the way it goes. Mike is merely being refreshingly honest and he is becoming a more powerful voice as a result of it. However, his wife is South Korean, so you have to bear that in mind when reading his reports of any cars from South Korea.
HJ
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Many years ago my brother and I composed a letter which we sent to Motor Cycle (the blue 'un) and Motor Cycling (the green 'un). We said we would like to see reports on the frightful contraptions which so reduced the average that everything they wrote about was above it. Despite SAEs we had absolutely no response!
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Trying to get my mind around this:-
In the hope of influencing motoring journalists Ford invite them to review the Fiesta ?somewhere exotic? on a expense paid junket. Obviously that is not on and their reviews will lack objectivity etc etc.
However-
Let Honda know in advance that you admire the ?concept and design? their forthcoming Jazz model and as a result get invited to Madrid for a serious unbiased and objective review of the car. That?s OK then.
Run that by me again HJ
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The Brown Paper Bagman wrote:
>
> Trying to get my mind around this:-
>
> In the hope of influencing motoring journalists Ford invite
> them to review the Fiesta ?somewhere exotic? on a expense
> paid junket. Obviously that is not on and their reviews will
> lack objectivity etc etc.
>
> However-
>
> Let Honda know in advance that you admire the ?concept and
> design? their forthcoming Jazz model and as a result get
> invited to Madrid for a serious unbiased and objective review
> of the car. That?s OK then.
>
> Run that by me again HJ
I didn`t read it that way.
I read it that the first way was seriously unobjective, whereas becauseh HJ had already said he liked a car, without being somewhere exotic first, he was then invited to review.
I think the order of events is important
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To be fair HJ never said that it would be honest and fair, we're just assuming it will be because of his reputation, something I would hope he holds higher than a dodgy review. Enjoy the trip HJ.
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One of our local writers recently wrote:
< >
Since then, BMW won't deal with him - So much for constructive criticism!
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Those of us interested enough in motoring to contribute to this forum can 'read between the lines' of press reviews and get a feel for what the journalist thinks of the car. e.g. "Very firm ride noticable on the poor roads in Cyprus" = teeth jarring. Those less interested take journalists at their word.
It just seems a pity that motoring scribes are offered inducements to be nice about the product or face penalties, by loss of advertising revenue, if they are critical.
Bob H
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As far as manufacturers are concerned, the one and only purpose of motoring journalists is to sell their products. Since every mainstream motor magazine utterly and completely depends on manufacturers for its revenue and for the cars it tests and runs you will rarely read bad reviews of any new cars built by the big spenders. That's the way it is. That's why the car by car breakdown on this website is unique.
HJ
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The press are quick to expose anyone who takes backhanders for promoting products and doesn?t declare an interest. Do you remember the ?Payola? scandal some years ago when the press had a field day when they discovered that DJs had been accepting rewards for plugging certain records. What?s the difference?
I totally agree that your column and website contain fair, balanced and objective criticisms, which is why we love reading it. My point was you cannot have your cake and eat it. That is have a go at the Fiesta lot and then do the same for Honda.
Do you not feel your position re the Jazz is just a tiny bit compromised?
No big deal ? just making a point
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No. Why should it be? I went on the launch of the Honda Civic Type R and did not give that a completely clean bill of health (see my road test). On the same occasion I continued to criticise the rear seats of the Honda Stream. But I was knocked out by the cleverness of the seating design of the Jazz and said so. Fair do's. I really hope I won't be disappointed by the Jazz, but if I am I will put it in writing. The trouble is that Ford, VAG, PSA, Nissan and everyone else about to bring out a new contender in the Jazz class is seriously worried that they haven't come up with the goods and that their product will lose out as a result. Mike Rutherford made that clear. Quentin Willson alluded to it. And both should be commended for their honesty rather than for toeing the Ford company line that the new Fiesta is the only new small car worthy of consideration which, of course, is cobblers. I thought it was great that Mike Rutherford exposed the extent to which he had been leaned on.
A few years ago, Jeremy Clarkson had a go at the local press boys who don't own cars of their own and live on cars 'borrowed' for evaluation from the manufacturers. As far as I remember, he also had a pop at the junket press trips these guys go on. Unfortunately, the local press hounds were quick to bite Jezza's ankles with nasty rumours about who supplied Jezza's own family's cars and the so-called truth about his purchase of a Ferrari 355GTS. But, of course, Jezza won. After all, he's funnier than any of them. And his was the lone, brave voice that warned us all about the Vauxhall Vectra.
It's a pity he's moved on to bigger things because his courage against the corporate might of the manufacturers was very refreshing compared to the witless, toadying bullshit we see far too much of these days.
The trouble is, if you don't drive a car you can't have an opinion about the way it drives, feels and works. And the only way I'm going to find out how the Jazz drives, feels and works soon enough for it to be relevant is to go on the launch, in possibly snowbound Madrid.
HJ
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