Due to the comparatively low circulation figures of our newspapers and magazines by international standards, because our population is so small, it's rare for journalists or people working in the media to be forbidden from taking freebies, whether it's international travel or just being bombarded with inducements, or new products, or being invited to free meals, new restaurants or product launches by PR companies. It has become widespread practice in this country. Newspapers don't have the budgets to be able to insist that journalists pay for – or claim expenses for – many of the things, which in other countries at the quality end of journalism are forbidden.

I always try, if I've ever received a freebie, to declare it in a ‘go last’, so you know that ‘Cherry Ripe was a guest of …’. But twelve years ago it was very rare to see such declarations of interest at the bottom of an article, and it is still not universal practice.

For instance, the ABC food magazine recently ran a ten-page spread on Spain without mentioning that the author had visited Spain as a guest of the Spanish government. But it is actually one of the tenets of the journalists' code of ethics: ‘Do not allow any payment or gift or other advantage to undermine accuracy, fairness and independence. Where relevant, disclose.’