Forget swine flu, there's urine in the pool!

Posted at 12:06 PM on May 21, 2009 by Ken Paulman (7 Comments)

I'm a little late to the party on this one.

I just received a news release from the Water Quality and Health Council announcing that one in five (unspecified) people admit to peeing in the pool.

From the news release:

One in five say they've done it (17%) - and eight in ten (78%) are convinced their fellow swimmers are guilty. As far as showering goes - forget it. Roughly one third (35%) pass the shower without stopping and three quarters (73%) say their fellow swimmers fail to shower before swimming.

If you're like me, you may be wondering who exactly was surveyed, and whether the results are statistically valid. The rather lengthy release doesn't say.

The WQHC, which I hadn't heard of either, is an advisory group that is funded by the chlorine industry. So it should come as no surprise that the group suggests we should all protect ourselves by ensuring that our neighborhood pool is purchasing adequate amounts of chlorine. Also, you shouldn't drink pool water.

And of course, the ick-factor of the release has inspired a fair amount of media coverage: here, here, here, here, and here.

Only a couple of these articles mention the study's connection to the chlorine industry. The last one, from WBBM in Chicago, puts it right up front in the lede:

A lobbying group for the Chlorine industry is warning consumers not to swim in dirty pools.

Kudos to WBBM for doing their homework.

Business interests pay millions, if not billions, of dollars to PR firms in attempts to get their brands placed in news coverage, rather than buying traditional advertisements. I wonder sometimes if people who don't work in media know about this dynamic.

One local company, Hopkins-based ARA Content, produces articles on behalf of paying clients and distributes them for free to newspapers. The articles, while accurate, are designed to promote specific companies and products, and are a tempting source of content for cash-strapped editors. Take a look at the site the news editors see:

ARAcontent provides free, high quality feature or special section content to editors, ad directors and publishers (print and online). ... All articles are written or edited by professional journalists and include high-resolution photos.

...and compare it to what the advertisers see:

Our combination package allows you to develop one full length feature article that will appeal to editors at the nation's largest dailies and weeklies. ... Your messages, whether detailed or concise, will be seen by millions of consumers through placements in an even broader range of national newspapers. Your clippings will increase as you reach even more consumer targets!

Here's my point: Newsgathering is expensive. Without some means for the public to pay for real reporting, the void will be increasingly filled by the entities who have the financial means to produce the copy that they want consumers to see.

So, who's paying for the news that you're reading?

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Comments (7)

ohh, more from their ARAcontent site, love the last point.

Writing Guidelines
How to Write Feature Articles that Get Published
• Articles should be written as if an independent writer was covering the story with “experts” from your company quoted and your product/services cited as examples.
• Use facts, figures and sources whenever appropriate to back your claims and add credibility to your article. Avoid technical language.

• Incorporate a human-interest angle. Consider featuring or quoting a satisfied customer or client who has used your product or service.

• Inform and educate. Structure your article into a helpful “how-to” format, or offer readers new ideas on how to accomplish a goal or solve a problem.

• Develop a creative headline and lead paragraph to draw readers in. Reference a current trend, holiday, issue or event to catch an editor’s eye.

• Avoid using the format of a typical press release. Visit www.aracontent.com to view sample feature articles.

• Include contact information once at the end of the article. List a phone number (preferably toll free) or web site for readers who want more information.

• Recommended article length is 500 to 700 words. Keep in mind, the papers will reserve their larger spaces for staff-written articles.

• Our content can only appear on the site in simple text (text free from extraneous elements), which makes it easy for editors to implement an article into their systems. This means there cannot be any formatting, such as italics, bold type, underlining, ® or ™ symbols.

• Include a lifestyle photograph. Avoid product shots as they make the content appear commercial

Posted by BJ | May 21, 2009 2:10 PM

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I'm pissed about this dirty pool.

Posted by Jim!!! | May 21, 2009 2:11 PM

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I thought Bob wrote "I'm a little late to the potty on this one."

Posted by Michelle | May 21, 2009 2:42 PM

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I never got past "A lobbying group for the Chlorine industry".

Posted by JohnnyZoom | May 21, 2009 10:59 PM

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But seriously, how does one track down who is paying for the information one consumes? It seems like a daunting task. I know for myself if my sh*t detector goes off and I am interested in the truth of the matter I will seek it out, cross reference, find the source, etc, but how many people actually do that? I would assume not many. I'd better start asking people to find out for sure. :)

Posted by Michelle | May 22, 2009 9:30 AM

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@Michelle: Not something to research, necessarily. Just to think about.

Posted by Ken Paulman | May 22, 2009 11:10 AM

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I was just thinking about how many people I know who take things at face value--just believe whatever they hear without asking why? how? who? It is a matter of thinking about it, not necessarily doing research. Seems like there are plenty of people out there that don't think beyond the headline or the sound bite. I am just as guilty of that as anyone else, but I'm working on it.

Posted by Michelle | May 22, 2009 1:51 PM

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