Every month I receive my email copy of Escape from America Magazine (EFAM), produced by Escapeartist.com. Because I am so busy, I often find myself having to catch up on back issues. Well, recently I was reading through the April issue when I came across this headline: “Own a Country, Now You Can With Escapeartist.”

The article went on to call for people to “enjoy life as a Media Bureau Chief”. It added: “Wine and dine with those in the power structure of your country to attract foreign direct investment to shape the image and future of your country.”

What?

The more I read, the more intrigued I became. And, to be honest, the more concerned I became about this call for media owners to oversee new electronic magazine ventures (known as e-zines) in 40 countries. Or “media fiefdoms”, as EFAM called them.

They are online media outlet franchises – similar to McDonalds or other franchises. Pay $150,000 and own the licensing rights to produce an EFAM all your own. But where in the application process does it call for franchisees who honor human rights and dignity, who understand press freedom and free and fair media coverage? Those attributes also hold true for those who would choose to focus on entertainment news.

My suggestion to the board accepting and vetting applications for this rather bizarre business venture: Do your homework. When analyzing the applications look beyond the money to things like integrity and knowledge of the media, to best practices and journalism ethics and standards. After all, good media – whether electronic or traditional – equals good profits.