Missouri County to Pay for Good Press

According to a story in the Sun Herald, Hancock County tourism officials are planning to pay freelance writers an extra $100 if they place a toady's article somewhere or other that is at least 100 miles from the area. (Is that because anyone closer will be laughing at the concept?) Each placement garners another image of Ben Franklin when the writer sends in a copy.

Not only is this completely unethical from a journalistic view, but the county wise people are now probably sinking any chance they had at favorable press, because no editor in his or her right mind is going to trust any freelance article on the subject. Why stick your foot in your mouth when you could jam it into your eye?