Content Confusion: News Media, Native Advertising, and Policy in an Era of Disinformation

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 journali...