Los Angeles Times' "Faux Story"

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Thursday's edition of the LA Times......hmmmm.....a fake story on the left hand side about NBC's new show "Southland" along with an ad on the bottom. Not cool.

Looks like folks weren't too happy about this as reported the LA Times story Times' front-page ad sparks outcry

Publisher Eddy Hartenstein defends this. "Because of the times that we're in, we have to look at all sorts of different -- and some would say innovative -- new solutions for our advertising clients,"

Readers are up in arms and been posting comments on the a LA Times' blog. I've posted some comments below.

Are you kidding me? When will those who run our paper stop insulting their readers' intelligence and our commitment to its survival? Seeing that front page ad was not shocking. If you want to sell advertising on the front page -- great, do it! But trying to spin it as a story? Where are the journalistic standards?

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I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I literally learned to read my first words from your paper. But the great glory days are gone. It was one thing to have ads on the bottom of the front page, which are now larger than the actual headlines. But to show a faux news item ... on your lower left side marked a new low. The line between real news and commercials have blurred to a point that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to differentiate the two in future editions.

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Today, however, was the last straw: on the front page of the paper was an advertisement! Column left; half a page! I fear the daily paper, too, will go the way of Sunday's edition! When I complained, your representative told me it was a "wonderful advertising opportunity" for The Times.

You are a NEWSPAPER, for God's sake, not an advertising throwaway! You mean there was no news that was fit to print? Unfortunately, and with great regret, I have canceled my subscription.