Carpundit: Robert Farago's Truth Gets Him Fired

I'm a little reluctant to wade into media criticism after Jay Fitzgerald handed me my ass for overgeneralizing, but I'll try one more time and see if I can come out alive. Did you ever wonder whether the glowing car reviews that appear in your weekend newspaper's Auto section -glowing reviews of damn near every car made- are legitimate and unbiased? Well, wonder no more: they're not.

Many newspaper auto scribes, like many car magazine scribes, are strictly limited in their ability to criticize a new car. If they say bad things about the new Megadodo Unlimited, the editor or publisher will pull the copy. If they don't pull it, and it runs, then Megadodo, Inc. may pull its ads from the entire paper. These days, no one in print media can afford to lose ad revenue, least of all newspapers. Think it wouldn't happen? It already did.

And Robert Farago was fired from the San Fransisco Chronicle, a once great paper, apparently for telling the truth about the hideous Subaru Tribeca. Look, I thought his review was a little far out, and said so, but reporting is supposed to be honest. If it isn't honest, it doesn't do any damn good. There's a word for the dishonest crap: advertorial.

We shouldn't have to put up with it. So stop reading the SF Chronicle and start reading TTAC.

Comments

Locally, you think Royall Ford will ever review a car that doesn't require a second mortgage to buy? Oh, for the days of Mr. Auto Writer, and his wife, Mrs. Auto Writer, who would report on how much space the glovebox had, instead of calling any Porsche "inexpensive."

Posted by: adamg | September 09, 2005 at 11:23 AM

For what it's worth, Farago cannoto handle criticism; and the official policy of The Truth About Cars is to ban anyone who dares point out a flaw in a review or, Heaven forbid, contradict a reviewer. Maybe he got fired because he's intolerant and insufferable.

Posted by: Dave | March 14, 2007 at 04:46 PM