The Brave New World of Corporate-Sponsored Journalism

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Corporate-sponsored journalism is starting to run rampant – and it has journalists, PR agencies and their clients in a tizzy. The key issue: does this practice undermine a journalist’s objectivity, and can readers trust that the content is fair and balanced?

Many observers have noted that companies have paid for journalists to attend events for many years – it is prevalent in theauto industry, for example, and it is standard practice in many countries outside the U.S.

But the trend has exploded as the traditional publishing industry has imploded and corporations have discovered that social media enables them to become publishers themselves. Corporations are now paying to get bloggers and journalists to attend industry events and post coverage that comes with the disclaimer that the trip was sponsored.

A Forbes story yesterday rightly points out that the economics of the publishing industry – specifically online journalism – are forcing this new direction. Many bloggers and journalists would never be able to attend events without corporate sponsorship. The story goes on to suggest that those journalists who take up these offers are naturally going to feel an obligation to their sponsors, potentially undermining their objectivity.

As a former newspaper and trade journalist, I’ll admit that this new direction has made me a bit uneasy. The purist in me says that no self-respecting journalist should take anything from the companies or people they cover (I once got into a 20-minute debate with a state senatorial candidate because I refused to let him buy me a Big Mac for lunch at the drive-through while I was following him for a day on the campaign trail).

But then I think about today’s readers – those who are so much more informed and sophisticated than ever before. In general – and this is a vast generalization, no doubt – people who are serious about consuming news are more savvy about where they get their information. They consume news from more sources, share it more frequently and even participate in its creation.

I believe they are savvy enough to understand when sponsored content loses its objectivity. And they are certainly vocal enough to call out those who cross the line. The self-policing nature of the Internet, I believe, will ensure that this happens.

Public relations plays a critical role in managing corporate-sponsored content. We are helping to broker the deals between corporations and journalists and framing the rules of engagement. We need to continue to boldly forge ahead into this new world, but keep some key things in mind:

• Always be clear about the rules of engagement: with events and other ad hoc coverage there needs to be an explicit agreement on how the content will be identified as sponsored
• Create authentic connections to your brand content: there are many ways to present sponsored content alongside your other corporate online content, but the key is thinking through this strategy and negotiating it ahead of time
• Seek out bloggers and journalists who are connected: content can be shared and re-used significantly if they have the right networks, helping to amplify your brand presence into new online communities
• Have a thick skin: in this new world of corporate-sponsored journalism you could end up taking some lumps, either directly in the sponsored content or by observers who see it as shilling – this is just part of being authentic

Photo credit: flickr user Andrew Magill: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/3367543094/