For a newspaper that has seen arguments erupt recently between its business and editorial groups over calls of media exploitation, the Los Angeles Times continues to blur the lines between news reporting and commerce. The Los Angeles Times unveiled a plan this week to place affiliate links for sites like Amazon and TicketNetwork in the text of certain articles and blogs. It’s safe to say that the paper’s editorial staff is none too pleased.
While editors from the paper have reassured staff that paid links will be limited to lifestyle-related content, including health, entertainment, and sports articles, one can imagine e-commerce gateways making their way into regular news articles in the future. The affiliate links will appear double-underlined in green, versus the single blue line for typical editorial links.
“I would just urge the LA Times to make the disclosure as prominent and pervasive as possible…in terms of protecting their brand,” said Ken Doctor, affiliate analyst at Outsell, a news publishing industry research firm.
The practice of placing affiliate links within articles has been employed by the Chicago Tribune, the flagship publication of the Tribune Co., which also owns the LA Times, for almost six months. Time will tell whether sponsored links become a common presence across the LA Times. On the other hand, editorial pressure may lead management to question the long-term price of affiliate revenue.
