Terri Thornton writes for the PBS MediaShift site about the recent changes at Forbes, which have caused some controversy because of its relationship with advertisers.
Thornton writes, “Now Forbes has an offering called Advoice, which, like AdSlant, offers paid blog space to advertisers. ‘In this case the marketer or advertiser is part of the Forbes environment, the news environment,’ DVorkin told Ad Age. ‘Marketers need to reach the audience. This is where publishing is headed.’
“Some marketers praised the idea, but many journalists did not. Mathew Ingram of GigaOm questioned whether Forbes was selling its journalistic soul.
“Advertorials — special advertising sections in print publications that evoke an editorial tone and design — remain a source of controversy, said Rick Edmonds, the Poynter Institute’s media business analyst and leader of news transformation. Reporters, he said, don’t want readers to confuse objective reporting with advertising.
“‘As a reader of [Forbes.com] I would have a reasonable comfort level if it’s labeled as advertising but not so much if it isn’t,’ he said. He also noted that many blogs and websites currently fail to disclose when content is sponsored or produced in exchange for free products.
“Gentzel said advertisers will hold no sway over Forbes’ writers. And if the Advoice bloggers need coaching or help, assistance would come from the business, not editorial, side.”
Read more here.
