When Advertising and News Media Coexist

Morgan Sigrist

Journalism has hit a new stride in development and appearance as web publishers and advertisers have created a symbiotic relationship. Probably the most easily recognized examples of the relationship is through the websites BuzzFeed, The New Yorker, CNN, etc.

Advertising is slipping into the pockets of publishers as advertisers have begun to have a part in creating content generated around their products. I believe this creates a terribly dangerous precedent for advertisers to solely control the outcome of the news content. While I see the value in advertising and publishing sharing a "friendship," I also see how easily this relationship can be abused, such as in the case in The Atlantic's Scientology article. What made matters worse was The Atlantic tried to moderate and control the content people were writing in response to the article. They subsequently pulled the article.

This new form of journalism can be seen everywhere. From news websites to social media, advertising is creeping into journalism content. There is definitely a positive place for this type of communication because it tailors more to the taste and preferences of the viewer, thus creating a positive personal experience for the public. These positive experiences go unnoticed because poor advertising creates a bigger monster.

The best way for publishers to prevent these mishaps and not slip into a dangerous relationship, is through transparency. It is the responsibility of the publishers to screen and ensure the advertising on their website properly represents the image they want for their audience and what best represents their name. When advertising is part of creating content, it is important for all parties to clearly state the presence of the agenda. While advertising can properly work with news media, it is important that this comes secondary to hard news, due to its unbiased nature.

Courtesy of http://blog.ivman.com/effective-advertising/

The question arises of how to display and publish advertising in a way that does not detract from the story. Publishers must remember that the audience clicks to read the story, not to be bombarded by advertisements that take them away from the content.

It’s also important to remember the media's relationship with the audience, in that they trust the content that they are reading is news or information and other influences are properly disclosed. Another ethical practice for advertising is the use of reader comments, which allows for readers to feel like they can freely share their thoughts and comments related to the article. It is important for editors not to control the feedback from audience to create a favorable response.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of this new journalism is to remember the reason advertising was created in the first place. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, “advertise to make the public aware of something (such as a product) that is being sold.”

Advertising is meant to inform and persuade, not to solely manipulate and mislead the audience.