Readers for Sale: the media's role in climate delay

This illuminating report bij Drilled and DeSmog describes the role of advertorials, also known as "branded content" or "native advertising", in spreading climate disinformation. Beyond just posting advertisements that have been made to look like news articles, the news outlets featured in this report go as far as creating content for the fossil industry themselves, including video, audio, and event offerings for corporate sponsors. The fossil fuel industry has invested heavily in all three, making trusted news outlets a major vehicle for greenwashing and maintaining the social license to operate of the fossil industry.

Some highlights:

• All of the companies reviewed—Bloomberg, The Economist, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Politico, Reuters, and The Washington Post, selected because they top lists of most-trusted news outlets in both the U.S. and Europe—have internal ad studios that create advertising content, ranging from podcasts to newsletters, videos, and advertorials, for fossil fuel majors. Some also allow fossil fuel companies to sponsor their events., while others create custom events for fossil fuel majors.
• The biggest spender by far? Saudi Aramco, which spent $13 million with The New York Times, $3 million with Reuters, $2.13 million with The Economist, and $1.55 million with Bloomberg from October 2020 to October 2023.