The ad industry talks a big game about supporting journalism. Still, at IAB ALM’s “Spotlight on News” panel, media leaders laid out the real barriers—brand safety fears, an outdated approach to metrics, and a lack of swagger.
With AI misinformation rising and brand safety concerns increasing on social platforms, will advertisers finally invest in trusted news sources?
Photo Credit: The IAB
The Eternal Struggle of News and Advertising
Advertisers love to talk about the importance of journalism. They’ll nod accordingly when media execs argue that supporting news is critical for democracy. But when it’s time to cut the check, too many hesitate.
Brand safety fears, nervous media planners, and an outdated obsession with efficiency metrics keep ad dollars from flowing into news. Meanwhile, misinformation thrives, and social media platforms—where brand safety issues are arguably worse—continue to rake in revenue.
At IAB ALM’s Breakfast Breakout: Spotlight on News panel, leaders from The Guardian, The Washington Post, Bloomberg Media, BBC, National Public Media, and Yahoo, dissected the challenge.
Their message? News isn’t just good for society—it’s good business. But the industry needs to find its swagger, to convince advertisers to invest.
The Data Fight: News Has the Receipts, So Why Isn’t It Enough?
For all the talk about brand safety concerns, the reality is that news publishers have been fighting back with hard data.
“We have been making a strong case with data,” Johanna Mayer-Jones, Global Chief Advertising Officer at The Washington Post said. “We’ve demonstrated that our readers are discerning enough not to conflate brands with negative news.”
Yet, she noted, the message isn’t sinking in where it matters most—with the people making the final call on ad placements.
Rob Wilk, Chief Revenue Officer at Yahoo, argued that publishers haven’t pushed hard enough. “We need to talk about why news is so effective in engaging,” Wilk explained. “We have not fought back enough with data—we can show incremental reach and how valuable our audiences are. Enough with the ‘Eat your vegetables’ pitch—advertisers understand the importance of news, but we need to prove why it works.”
The challenge? Many media buyers still operate on gut instinct, not data. And the fear of the dreaded screenshot backlash—where a brand appears next to a controversial news topic—trumps logic.
The Blocklist Trap: Fear Over Facts
A major culprit is the overuse of blocklists, where entire news categories are deemed off-limits for advertisers. Sara Badler, Chief Advertising Officer, North America at The Guardian US, pointed out that many media planners still don’t fully understand the value of news audiences. “There’s an education gap that needs to be addressed,” she said, adding that these conversations should happen at every level of media planning. “It’s not just about discussing it on panels.”
That fear leads to blanket avoidance of news, cutting off high-value audiences.
“Set-it-and-forget-it blocklists create missed opportunities for brands and publishers,” said Sheryl Goldstein, EVP, Chief Industry Growth Officer at IAB, who moderated the panel. “There needs to be more nuance in how advertisers approach brand safety.”
AI, Influencers, and the Changing Definition of News
News organizations are also facing competition from alternative sources of information—some more credible than others.
Sam Mellor, VP, Commercial Marketing and Growth – North America at BBC, explained that 20% of Americans now get their news from social media influencers. “We need to be in those places,” she said. “AI summarization, social-first content, and new audience behaviors mean we can’t just expect people to come to us.”
As news organizations navigate a changing audience landscape, they’re also battling a rising tide of AI-driven misinformation—further complicating advertisers’ brand safety concerns.
But AI is also creating new risks. Yahoo’s Wilk shared a startling example of AI-driven misinformation: “There was a news story floating around about a massive hurricane in Portland. My wife asked if we should cancel our trip. A quick check showed the weather was 48 degrees and clear. Turns out, an AI-driven content network was making up disaster stories nationwide just to drive traffic from social media.”
The takeaway? Trusted journalism has never been more important, but news organizations must evolve to stay relevant.
News Needs Swagger: The Industry’s Confidence Gap
While ad execs obsess over risk, tech platforms can walk into rooms confidently and walk out with ad dollars.
“We have swagger,” Mellor declared. “The rest of the pie is going to extremely large platforms that predominantly have the same challenges advertisers are concerned about. Yet they’re still capturing an enormous majority of ad dollars. They walk into the room and say, ‘Everyone’s here.’ News needs to do the same.”
Swagger helps, but it won’t close deals on its own. News publishers also must rethink how they engage audiences and advertisers in a rapidly shifting landscape.
Christine Cook, Global Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg Media, pointed out that news publishers are already in a period of disruption—and that’s not a bad thing. Many are moving beyond traditional display advertising to subscriptions, podcasts, and new engagement models.
With younger audiences turning to social media influencers for news, traditional outlets must rethink where—and how—they reach them.
“As information providers, we need to meet the consumers where they are. We need to meet our change makers where they are, and recognize that those trends are going to influence how and where we put that information,” expressed Mellor.
“We are all disruptors. Our business models are evolving, and we need to embrace new ways to engage audiences,” Cook added.
The Business Case for Supporting News
If publishers needed an advocate in the room, Shenan Reed, Global Chief Media Officer at General Motors and Incoming IAB Chair, was it. “I’m on a mission for unique reach,” she said.
“And when you’re selling cars, that unique reach matters. Stagwell’s research shows that 11% of the reach you get on news is unique. Negative brand association based on proximity to news is not real—consumers are smarter than we give them credit for,” she added.
That’s the kind of argument news publishers have been making for years—news audiences are highly engaged, influential, and not as easily swayed by adjacency concerns as some brands fear. But for all the talk about brand safety, are advertisers truly looking at brand suitability and the deeper engagement that quality journalism fosters?
News environments offer advertisers something many other platforms don’t—depth. “News is a great space to dive deeper into a product—news is a different experience than most other media,” Gina Garrubbo, President & CEO at National Public Media explained.
Studies on attention metrics back this up, showing that consumers actively lean in when engaging with news content, which makes it a prime environment for brands looking to make a lasting impact.
So if the data is there for publishers to own the narrative, and the audience is engaged, what’s stopping brands from paying up?
Will the Ad Industry Finally Pay Up?
If the panel made one thing clear, it’s that advertisers have the power to support quality journalism while reaching valuable, engaged audiences. The question is—will they?
“I think what I’m hearing here,” Mayer-Jones said, “is that we need to set the rules differently. Brand safety and suitability need to reflect the value of trusted journalism. The game needs to change.”
So, will the ad industry finally invest in news, or will it keep making excuses while funneling dollars into social platforms riddled with misinformation and brand safety risks?