It's the end of the world. Give now.

You're a charity.  You want to raise as much money as you can.  You're offered free advertising.  You'll reach millions of potential donors.

Oh, just one thing.  Your ad will appear in a newspaper that's mired in controversy, has been universally discredited and is shutting up shop.  It's The News of The World.

What do you do?  Take the moral high ground and say no?  Or take the advertising?

Most of the big charities did the former, one of the few exceptions being the DEC.  And who can blame them?  After all, the saying may be,"If you eat with the devil,use a long spoon".  But at least the spoon can be used to feed the starving.

And the smaller charities?  Well, several took up the paper's offer.  After all, why turn your nose up at the chance to target an audience you'd never normally be able to reach with your tiny media budget?

Like it or loathe it, the final edition of The News of The World sold over four million copies.  That's over four million people who looked beyond the phone-hacking scandal and still bought the paper.  Over four million potential donors who won't think badly of your charity.

And when it comes to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like that, who wouldn't throw self-righteousness to the wind?

To (mis)quote Bob Geldof at Live Aid, "Just give us your f**king money".