US Weekly Draws ASME Fire for Faux Cover

Turns out that even though times are as desperate as they are in the magazine world, you still can’t do whatever you want to make money. ASME has just slapped US Weekly on the wrist for violating the very rules they have set up, which are “designed to protect magazines’ editorial integrity.”

The violation in question is the faux Grey Gardens cover the weekly mag ran on its April 20 edition. The mock cover was part of a five page spread for HBO’s upcoming production starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange (read Gail Sheehy‘s original, and amazing, New York piece here, by the way).

Says Vicci Lasdon Rose, publisher of Us Weekly: “We were very clear by the creative treatment…so there was no miscommunication there. There was no effort to betray or manipulate the reader.”

Says ASME CEO Sid Holt: “ASME firmly believes that advertising cannot obscure the cover in any manner whatsoever, especially advertising that mimics editorial.”

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.