Book Talk: Content Confusion

A conversation with author Michelle Amazeen and Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times

Michelle Amazeen, an associate professor at Boston University’s College of Communications and a MISI Research Fellow, joined the university’s Institute for Global Sustainability for a campus conversation on her recently published book, Content Confusion: News Media, Native Advertising, and Policy in an Era of Disinformation. In a discussion moderated by Jill Abramson, a former executive editor of The New York Times and distinguished professor of practice and senior fellow at Northeastern University’s The Burnes Center for Social Change, Amazeen detailed the blurred relationship between journalism and advertising, and how these practices drive today’s expanding environment of information disorder.

Amazeen explained the rise of native advertising, showing how sponsored content created by in-house “content studios” at major news outlets is deliberately crafted to look like editorial work. She shared examples from her research, including the moment when college students cited a Wall Street Journal-branded post as though it were a reported article, to reveal how paid content can easily be mistaken as news.

The conversation tackles the broader consequences of these practices, such as the erosion of newsroom independence, the economic pressures on media outlets, and the leveraging of native ads by fossil fuel companies. Amazeen and Abramson discussed evidence on how these ads don’t just confuse audiences, but on how they can also shape newsroom agendas, leading to fewer critical stories about major sponsors.

Despite these concerns, Amazeen emphasized the importance of media literacy, journalism created for the public interest, and support for independent outlets. Her book aims not only to map out the problem, but to equip readers with tools to navigate an increasingly polluted information environment.

Location: Boston University’s Institute for Global Sustainability (111 Cummington Mall)

Watch the conversation:

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