Patrons of Journalism

"For anyone reading this, most of the journalism that you have consumed for your entire lifetime has been primarily supported by advertising money. The industry settled on the self-regulated idea of a "Chinese wall" between the business side and the editorial side of publications, a separation that can be enforced zealously or can degenerate into a polite fiction, depending on the scrupulousness of the editorial side itself."

"In retrospect, bitching about ads-though philosophically valid-was a luxury problem. Today, enormous tech platforms have monopolized much of the ad money that used to be spent directly at news publications. Many alt-weeklies have gone extinct; glossy, ad-heavy magazines are a thing of the past; the online news sites that were once seen as the looming threat to traditional journalism have themselves been wiped out by Google and Facebook's ability to suck up their advertisers."

Journalism's relationship with advertising has always been complicated, particularly for publications with rebellious editorial voices. Most journalism consumed throughout history has been supported primarily by advertising revenue, with publications maintaining a theoretical separation between business and editorial sides through the "Chinese wall" concept. This separation can be rigorously enforced or become merely symbolic depending on editorial integrity. Journalists with strong anti-establishment identities often bristle at this reality, viewing advertising as philosophically compromising. However, concerns about advertising influence were once considered luxury problems. Today, the advertising-supported journalism model faces existential threats as tech giants like Google and Facebook have monopolized advertising spending that previously went directly to news publications, causing many alt-weeklies to close and traditional magazines to disappear.

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