Update: Skiing Examiner put together a nice article with more sides of the story.
If you have been following ski-related news, you may have heard about the tragic death of a 14-year-old girl skiing at Breckenridge, part of Vail Resorts. Ski Magazine wrote about the event and offered condolences to the girl’s family and friends. However, the article has since mysteriously disappeared. Yesterday, a New York Times columnist published an article about the controversy, revealing more information about the article and its disappearance.
Apparently, a note to staff was sent out by a digital editor, stating that the post was pulled from the site because executives at Vail Resorts threatened to pull advertising from the publication. In addition, it was advised that staff should avoid writing articles about fatal skiing accidents in the future.
With the current economy, and so many magazines folding these days, it’s easy to understand the pressure that Ski Magazine is under to hold onto a large advertiser. However, does that mean that advertisers can now decide what is published and what is scrapped? In a statement from Ski Magazine, they say that the article was pulled, “not because of a request from Vail, but rather because it is not a story that Ski magazine would report on.”
-via The Goat
