How mainstream news organizations and advertisers contribute to and legitimize disinformation by blurring the line between ads and journalism.
We often blame social media for the rampant problem of disinformation, but the truth is that mainstream news media is often equally at fault. Not only do news outlets disguise paid content to look like online news articles, a practice called “native advertising,” but new research suggests that this form of advertising even influences the real journalism that appears next to it—both perceptions of the journalism as well as its actual substance. In Content Confusion, Michelle Amazeen explores the origins and evolution of this mainstream media practice, how it affects audiences and the industry, and what the implications are for an accurately informed democracy.
For policy makers, in particular, the book highlights the longstanding principles from governmental regulation as well as industry professional codes that serve to support clear identification of the provenance of content, an issue that will no doubt intensify with the release of generative artificial intelligence in the wild.
ENDORSEMENTS
“I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Impeccably researched, trenchantly argued, and engagingly written, Amazeen’s penetrating analysis into the dangers of native advertising should be read by anyone concerned about the future of independent media and democratic society.” —Victor Pickard, C. Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy and Codirector of the Media, Inequality & Change Center, University of Pennsylvania
“With leading research and engaging writing, Amazeen's Content Confusion convincingly shows how ‘native advertising’—a new form of propaganda—is duping consumers and eroding independent media. A must-read.” —Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Cambridge; author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
“At a time when the credibility of legacy news media is under attack from outside forces, Michelle Amazeen’s Content Confusion reveals a largely overlooked danger from within: ‘native advertising’ disguised as legitimate journalism. Amazeen’s work is innovative, timely, and important.” —David Boardman, Dean, Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University
Michelle A. Amazeen is Associate Dean of Research and Associate Professor of Mass Communication in the College of Communication at Boston University and is also Director of the Communication Research Center.
How mainstream news organizations and advertisers contribute to and legitimize disinformation by blurring the line between ads and journalism.
We often blame social media for the rampant problem of disinformation, but the truth is that mainstream news media is often equally at fault. Not only do news outlets disguise paid content to look like online news articles, a practice called “native advertising,” but new research suggests that this form of advertising even influences the real journalism that appears next to it—both perceptions of the journalism as well as its actual substance. In Content Confusion, Michelle Amazeen explores the origins and evolution of this mainstream media practice, how it affects audiences and the industry, and what the implications are for an accurately informed democracy.
For policy makers, in particular, the book highlights the longstanding principles from governmental regulation as well as industry professional codes that serve to support clear identification of the provenance of content, an issue that will no doubt intensify with the release of generative artificial intelligence in the wild.
Praise
ENDORSEMENTS
“I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Impeccably researched, trenchantly argued, and engagingly written, Amazeen’s penetrating analysis into the dangers of native advertising should be read by anyone concerned about the future of independent media and democratic society.” —Victor Pickard, C. Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy and Codirector of the Media, Inequality & Change Center, University of Pennsylvania
“With leading research and engaging writing, Amazeen's Content Confusion convincingly shows how ‘native advertising’—a new form of propaganda—is duping consumers and eroding independent media. A must-read.” —Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Cambridge; author of Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
“At a time when the credibility of legacy news media is under attack from outside forces, Michelle Amazeen’s Content Confusion reveals a largely overlooked danger from within: ‘native advertising’ disguised as legitimate journalism. Amazeen’s work is innovative, timely, and important.” —David Boardman, Dean, Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University
Author
Michelle A. Amazeen is Associate Dean of Research and Associate Professor of Mass Communication in the College of Communication at Boston University and is also Director of the Communication Research Center.
