Tuesday’s Financial Review carried a letter from a “Peter Armstrong, Carine, WA” lauding the benefits of advertising in newspapers that began:

In his excellent “TV’s uncertain future” (April 18) Neil Shoebridge sees the question “Why do advertisers keep stumping up more money to run ads in a medium that is delivering an ever-smaller audience?” A very fair question…

And a question that Armstong proceeds to answer in 250 words. His answer? Advertise in newspapers. “Simply by placing one ad in the major weekend newspapers in the five state capitals he would reach not two million people but nearly seven million (6,713,000). Now that is a real mass audience.”

Interesting, but not vital information. More an advertorial, really. So who is Peter Armstrong from Carine? Is he the same Peter Armstrong who appears on the website of The West Australian as “Advertising sales manager”?

Maybe we should have been told.