Advertising‐Supported Journalism

Abstract

For decades, journalism and the advertising industry have been closely affiliated with each other. Research relates to this mutual interdependence with concepts of the mixed financing of media products and two‐sided markets. For various reasons, the prices for journalism paid by the users do not bear the running costs for journalism and media companies have to find other sources of income, mainly advertising. Therefore, media companies operate in a dual‐product market. In generating and distributing journalistic content they also produce audience attention, which they sell to the advertising industry. Although it is still an economic necessity, the journalism–advertising connection is criticized as it leads to advertiser influence on editorial decision making and journalistic routines, with a massive impact on news coverage. However, convergence and changes in the way advertising works and the way advertising uses online and mobile platforms as vehicles summarize the major challenges to advertising‐supported journalism.