A poster advertisment for the Independent which implied that the newspaper was financially independent was misleading, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled yesterday.
The poster implied that the paper had greater editorial independence over The Times and The Daily Telegraph. The complainant considered the advertisment was misleading, a view supported by the ASA in it’s adjudication. The ASA decided the poster implied incorrectly that shareholders could not affect policy.
Andreas Whittam Smith, chairman of Newspaper Publishing, which publishes The Independent, said yesterday that the ASA had completely misunderstood the arrangement between the four main shareholders in the Independent. He also said that the shareholders do not and have never interfered in editorial policy.
The ASA asked The Independent to withdraw its claim.
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