There are only two basic ways to support journalism—subscriptions and advertising. But one of those methods, advertising, has been strangled by a “brand safety” movement that has told marketers they need to stay away from placing ads on large swaths of the best journalism around.
This brand safety movement has created a vicious downward cycle, in which news has to follow clicks or face virtual extinction by a hidden set of algorithms that strips news organizations of their ability to afford quality journalism. This comes on top of a general notion among chief marketing officers that avoiding news is good business.
