By Denise Tessier

“It’s free, available to every New Mexican and just might save you money on your prescription drugs.”

That’s the lead paragraph of a clear, engaging news story that appeared prominently at the top of the Metro & NM Section on A6 of the Nov. 2 Albuquerque Journal. The story written by Rivkela Brodsky – “Drug Card Offers Discount on Medicine” — clearly reported that the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce was “rolling out a discount prescription card today that will be accepted at 250 pharmacies throughout the state.”

Her story explained how the card would work, quoted chamber president/CEO Terri Cole and included a pull-out box with at-a-glance information on how to get the card. Early on, it was evident from Brodsky’s story that Cole had met with the Journal’s editorial board to unveil the program.

I must admit I don’t always read stories all the way through, but this was clearly written (and revealed some actual news) and I continued reading all the way to the last leg of copy over six columns, at which point the reader learns that Don Chalmers, president of Don Chalmers Ford and former chamber chairman, and Norm Becker, president and CEO of New Mexico Mutual and vice chair of the chamber’s Healthcare Planning Council, had accompanied Cole into the Journal for a briefing on the program.

Why is this worth comment?

Normally, it would not be, other than to compliment the reporter; I remember thinking the story was solid reportage that further demonstrates that Brodsky, one of the newer and younger reporters at the Journal, is a reliable Journal asset.

No, what set me off was that just five pages later on A-11, the same newspaper, the reader encounters this: “Chamber Offers Discount Drug Cards.”  What?

Appearing on the Journal’s Op-Ed (Opposite Editorial) page, this duplication of effort was “By Michael Zientek and Terri L. Cole, Greater Albuquerque chamber of Commerce.” (Zientek is chairman of the board of the Chamber.) Its thunder already stolen, this story announces nonetheless that, “The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce is launching a new statewide prescription assistance program called the New Mexico Drug Card.”

Then, over nearly 20 precious column inches – precious because the space for written copy has shrunk commensurate with the reduction in newspaper ad sales – the column basically repeats the news story on A6.

Running in the same paper, one can’t help but think the column unnecessary and a further example of that “coziness” between the Journal and the Greater Chamber that my colleague Tracy Dingmann and I have written about in previous posts. And, in running the chamber’s statement, the Journal was wasting space that could have been used to enlighten readers a different event or issue, or provide a platform for another public voice or different interest group.

It is a news story that could affect many New Mexicans, so it does merit visibility. But the Journal prominently played its own news story and the Greater Chamber has another vehicle in which to tout its new program: that is, its weekly full-page “Business Plan” advertorial that runs Mondays in the Journal’s Business Outlook.

Which is what prompts this post: That’s exactly what the chamber did on Nov. 16.

“Sign Up for the New Mexico Drug Card” is the main feature of the full-page advertorial – an informative page that repeats much of the information in the original news story; what’s new is it includes a picture of the drug card and comments from Chamber-member pharmacists with their take on the new program.

Nothing wrong with that. But the Op-Ed column in between was a gratuitous overdose in service of the Chamber.