Sponsored Content

This 2016 study, from Stanford University, Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning Links to an external site. found that 80% of middle school students involved in the study identified sponsored content (also known as native advertising) as real news. The practice has caused a stir in the media industry because it seemingly breaks the long-held divide between editorial and advertorial content. One of the most infamous examples of sponsored content is an article from The Atlantic in 2013, titled David Miscavige Leads Scientology to Milestone Year. The article resulted in a lot of backlash Links to an external site. and discussion of the merits and ethical concerns around sponsored content. Of course, it has since been taken down but we have a pdf copy here Links to an external site..

Some more examples

• This article in the New York Times, Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn’t Work Links to an external site., is actually a sponsored ad for the Netflix series Orange is The New Black.
• The viral First Kiss Links to an external site. video featured 20 strangers kissing for the first time. It took some time before people began to learn Links to an external site. that the video was an ad for a clothing company and that the kissing strangers were actually actors.

note: This information is from Luc Steinberg's blog post "Infographic: Beyond Fake News – 10 Types of Misleading News Links to an external site.," (26 July 2017) for EAVI Links to an external site. and was accessed on 15 July 2020.