IT weeklies squabble over circulation figures

VNU Business Publications, which publishes Computing, complained about three adverts run by Reed, which publishes Computer Weekly.

One of Reed's adverts claimed that Weekly was the only IT weekly publication in the UK that was committed to keeping 100 per cent of its requested circulation completely up to date. Another claimed that Weekly was the only IT publication that verified its entire circulation every year. The third claimed that results by an auditing firm showed that Computer Weekly's circulation was completely up to date.

VNU moaned to the ASA about these claims, but the ASA turned down the firm's complaint. The ASA said that it found Reed's claims to be true. It said the ads were unlikely to mislead readers. µ

L'INQ
Tweedledum and Tweedledee