Joseph Farah’s Oct. 9 WorldNetDaily column begins ominously:
We live in turbulent times.
Civil strife is increasing. Division characterizes our society.
There are wars and rumors of wars – the kind that can affect us in minutes from threats thousands of miles away.
As we’ve seen in recent days, the lives of hundreds can be impacted by unseen threats within our own community.
And, there are the natural disasters we’ve experienced recently that leave in their wake the hungry who haplessly wait for others to help them – government, insurance companies, neighbors, family members.
That’s why preparedness – first spiritual and second material – is simply wise stewardship.
For years, I’ve been looking for a partner with whom I could help wise stewards prepare themselves with the necessities of life. And I’m so grateful that I’ve found one who can help equip people prepare for the inevitable worst of times with long-lasting food supplies for any emergency situation – storms, terrorism, grid failures, societal breakdowns, even, God forbid, nuclear attacks.
No one likes to think these things can happen to us, even when we see them happening to others.
But never fear! Farah’s column quickly morphs into a plug for his favorite survival food company — after all, he admits to being a “long-time prepper.” Farah then adds:
Yes, this is my personal endorsement of Live Prepared. I’m not getting paid to make it, except with the same peace of mind I get when I buy my own emergency food supplies for my household. It’s just the right thing to do.
Actually, Farah is getting paid to make this endorsement. All the links in his column regarding his prepper food goes to … WND’s online store. Farah is not only WND’s CEO but has an ownership stake in the company, so he is very much making money by endorsing this product.
Farah’s column was joined by a “news” article touting said survival food in the WND online store, telling us that “These complete, long-term meal solutions will ensure you and your family have enough healthy, tasty food to survive a long-term disaster.”
WND also appears to be ramping up its production of disaster-related “news” articles to provide an opportunity to promote survival food. For instance, Farah’s Oct. 15 column warns of a possible EMP attack on the U.S. by North Korea. Toward the end, the following text is inserted into the column:
What’s the best defense against a catastrophic EMP attack for the average American? Long-term, emergency food. The blast won’t hurt you, but the aftermath of chaos and disruption of food supplies will.
It’s linked, of course, to a search for survival food at WND’s online store.
Unduly covering “news” that just happens to relate to things you’re selling is highly unethical. But when has WND ever been all that concerned about journalistic ethics?