I will be the first to admit that I am a sucker for a good listicle. That’s probably a result of being overly prone to making lists myself. I am also not offended by native advertising per se. After all it completely predates the internet. Thumbing through pretty much any fashion magazine or one of the glossy local publications like “Westchester” will make that instantly evident. All of this is to say that I am happy for Jonah Peretti and the folks at Buzzfeed about the recent financing led by Chris Dixon for A16Z.
But I feel very differently when it comes to original news coverage and investigative journalism. There I am completely with John Oliver: I don’t want native advertising anywhere near it. Or any other advertising. Or even an editorial board for that matter (cf the disastrous NY Times coverage of many topics). So what is the alternative funding model? Crowdfunding. That’s why i have been a big fan of Beacon Reader (where I just supported sending an independent journalist to Ferguson, Missouri). Similar efforts are underway in other parts of the world, including Contributoria (UK), De Correspondent (Netherlands) and Krautreporter (Germany).
