‘Don’t ignore native advertising just because it feels icky’ journalism expert warns media

Panel (l-r): Susie Banikarim – Vocativ; Justin Ellis- nieman Journalism Lab; Jane Spencer – Fusion

Branded content and native advertising should not be ignored by media outlets “just because it makes us feel icky”, while plagiarism and not attributing sources is “one of the greatest problems we have”, a journalism expert has said.

Justin Ellis, a writer for the Nieman Journalism Lab which looks at the future and development of the profession, was responding to claims that native and branded ads are like selling “snake oil” during a panel on new media ethics at South by Southwest overnight.

“It’s like arguing anything we try in media now is going to fail because we don’t have any connection with our readers – the fact you think you’re selling snake oil to people when they can decide for themselves is misguided,” he said.