>would it also be bad for NYT to film the same things and publish a piece about how bad the situation is, with ads? Yes. Advertising, in which you pay someone

>would it also be bad for NYT to film the same things and publish a piece about how bad the situation is, with ads? Yes. Advertising, in which you pay someone to lie or exploit a fallacy (e.g. red wine associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease), is the opposite of journalism. The idea that you should fund one with the other is frankly horrific.