The Spokane Spokesman-Review announced Thursday that a local financial institution will sponsor a column in its business section.
It joins the Philadelphia Inquirer, which announced earlier this year that a bank there would sponsor a business news column.
An item on the Daily Briefing blog run by the newspaper stated, “Melodie Little‘s “Here’s The Dirt” column will be sponsored by Sterling Savings and Loan.
“‘Are we monetizing content now?’ asked business editor Alison Boggs. Even though this sponsorship is for a column and not a business or news story, sponsorship and money make up one big congealed scary thought for journalists, because it creates a conflict of interest when it comes to providing news coverage on a company that happens to give money.”
Read more here.
