A growing number of like-minded organisations believe the news and media information ecosystem needs greater protection. Advertisers should recognise where they choose to invest – or disinvest – has an impact.

This article was written by Gideon Spanier (UK editor-in-chief of Campaign) and it originally appeared in Campaign.

I have just stepped down as chair of the British Society of Magazine Editors after a year in the role and, given my day job as UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, I saw bridging the divide between journalism and advertising as part of my agenda.

Championing the importance of trusted journalism was my priority as chair of the BSME because we are living in an era where unreliable, toxic, fake and rip-off content is rife and artificial intelligence is on the rise.

The essential functions of journalism — to report news, verify facts, hold power to account and publish responsibly — require resource and persistence, as we heard at a BSME event about exposing the Post Office scandal.

Bryan Glick, the editor-in-chief of Computer Weekly, said his title published more than 400 articles between 2009, when it first broke the story, and the start of 2024, when the ITV drama Mr Bates Versus the Post Office finally triggered a national outcry.

Yet some advertisers have been shying away from editorial titles because of fears about “brand safety” and have been investing in less reliable media channels and platforms — in pursuit of cheap reach and short-term performance. 

Group M, the world’s biggest media agency buyer, testified to the US Congress last year that it spent less than 5% of its global ad expenditure on news and only 1.28% on online news sites.

Historically, press used to be the dominant advertising medium, Christian Juhl, the then chief executive of Group M, explained. Now brands not only “prefer to avoid advertising alongside content related to war, scandal, and political division” but also “they do not need to risk advertising in those environments to reach their total audience and because alternatives to news — such as sports and entertainment — generally provide better measurement, formats, and capabilities”, Juhl said.

This shift in advertising money away from journalism has consequences. Pressure on ad revenues can have an impact not only on editorial budgets but also on access to trusted media and on democracy itself.

There is mounting evidence about the impact of polarisation and misinformation. Alex Mahon, the chief executive of Channel 4, warned in a recent speech about worrying attitudes among young, so-called “Gen Z” audiences who are “grappling with the idea of truth itself” and finding it “harder than ever to separate fact from fiction” in a world dominated by social media.

Young people have “flatter hierarchies of trust across media” as they trust posts from friends and influencers “as much as — and sometimes more than — established journalism”, according to Channel 4’s research. It found 52% of those aged 13 to 27 thought the UK would be a better place “if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”.

Edelman’s newly-published annual Trust Barometer identified a similar trend, which it described as the rise of “grievance”, as 61% of young UK adults aged 18 to 34 see “hostile activism” as a viable means to drive change.

Mark Zuckerberg’s recent decision to roll back on fact-checking at Meta and his admission that “we’re going to catch less bad stuff”, is further cause for alarm as Donald Trump’s second term as US president begins.

News and media information ecosystem needs greater protection

The darkening mood has galvanised some parts of the advertising industry to fight back in defence of journalism. 

A growing alliance is emerging of like-minded organisations that believe the news and media information ecosystem needs greater protection and that advertisers have a responsibility because of where they choose to invest — or to disinvest.

Stagwell, the US ad agency group, has carried out research on both sides of the Atlantic that shows that investing in news is highly effective and is not harmful to brands. Some brand safety measures — such as keyword-blocking when an ad on a news story is blocked because it contains a supposedly contentious word such as feminist — have been “over-applied”, according to a majority of business leaders surveyed by Stagwell.

Other organisations have been championing the value of trusted editorial brands more loudly in this contested media environment. 

PPA Magnetic and Newsworks, representing magazine and news brands, gave separate presentations about the importance of trust at Media Week Live, Campaign’s new conference aimed at early-stage media planners, buyers and vendors. 

The BSME also hosted a recent event called “Bridging the journalism and advertising divide”, which brought together editors and advertisers at the London offices of Stagwell to discuss how the two sides can work better together while maintaining journalistic independence.

There is intent to advertise in editorial brands, it’s just not always matched by investment, as Sarah Jones, director of planning at Sky Media and a speaker at the BSME event, puts it.

There is one important caveat. Advertisers will always prize effectiveness above all else, and publishers and news organisations can do more to justify why marketers should spend with them.

That means taking a more pro-active approach to engaging with brands and agencies, avoiding clickbait and creating a better-quality digital ad environment, improving collaboration between editorial and commercial and producing more accurate audience data.

Brands have a choice where they invest 

Governments and regulators have an important part to play in shaping the media eco-system and the enforcement of rules — for better or worse.

Mahon made several suggestions in her speech: She appealed for public service broadcasters and other trusted providers to be given guaranteed “prominence” on social media – in a similar way as happens on TV. 

She also called for the introduction of a “trustmark” or similar stamp of authority for original journalism and trusted content, although some of the industry experts on stage with her at Channel 4’s event had some doubts about the practicalities. 

Mahon’s big point is that the UK has an opportunity and an obligation to take a lead internationally. These challenges are global yet solutions are still likely to start locally.

One intriguing detail in Channel 4’s research was that Gen Z trusts advertising more than its older peer group. About 39% of 13- to 27-year-olds trust advertising, versus 17% for those in the 28- to 65-year-old age bracket. 

It is a reminder that advertisers do have influence, and it follows the latest Credos Trust Tracker from the Advertising Association, which showed trust in advertising has been rising, largely driven by the young, albeit from a low base.

Ultimately, the provenance of news and information matters deeply and will only become more important in the age of AI. 

Brands have a choice about where they invest. They should not abdicate their responsibility to support journalism.