Native Advertising and the Credibility of a Publication

 Henry Jost

hj574419@ohio.edu

Gil C/ Shutterstock.com

The rise of social media has changed the world of advertising and has meshed together news and entertainment. According to Pew Research, about half Americans regularly received their news content from social media in 2021. This prominent trend has made online advertising all the more profitable and presented a new challenge that journalists must navigate.

97.9% of Facebook's revenue in 2021 came from online advertisement, according to Statista Research Department. This large amount of profit has given social media companies power over the daily digest of news content. However, deceptive online advertisements are quickly circulated online, so The Federal Trade Commission has put out a set of warnings to distinguish native advertisements and news content. "People browsing the web, using social media, or watching videos have a right to know if they're seeing editorial content or an ad," said Jessica L. Rich, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection in a New York Times article.

As a journalist, let's make an effort to distinguish our content from entertainment, and native advertising does not do journalists any favors in that effort. While the rise of social media has made it more economically tricky for publications to compete, I believe journalists must prioritize the credibility of their brand by differentiating advertisements from news content. Unfortunately, advertisers purposely try to craft their advertisements to resemble journalism content. This deceitful marking strategy can damage the trust between publications and their readers. "Companies are starting to think of themselves as publishers of information, insights, and entertainment tied to issues they care most about," says Sam Ford, co-author of "Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture." 

While it is not unethical for branded advertisements on a publication's website, I believe it is essential that we make an effort to limit misleading commercials and make it clear that they do not represent our content. We can achieve this by labeling paid advertisements. Doing this will help journalists control their narrative when it comes to their publication and create a level of trust with essential consumers. We should also make it possible for our consumers to block branded content. A study conducted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism on whether branded content is ethical found that "half said it diminished the credibility of media among PR professionals."