Broken By Design: The Perils And Possibilities Of Digital Advertising

The model of news delivery and the relationship between editorial and advertising is changing rapidly. The system is compromised, filled with fraud, and threatens both readers’ trust and journalism’s ethical codes. Security challenges have turned some news sites’ ads into vectors for dangerous ransomware, and publishers must combat a rising duopoly of Google and Facebook. Journalism is stronger than ever, but the business of journalism has never been more precarious.

This discussion is the third in a three-part event series hosted by Journalism + Design. Attendance at all three events is encouraged, but not required. Register here for Session I and here for Session II.

Aram Zucker-Scharff, Ad Engineering Director for the Research, Experimentation and Development (RED) team at The Washington Post, will moderate a discussion about this complex digital ecosystem, the dangers it poses to a free press, and the possibilities for creating better, sustainable models that favor readers over page views and profit. Zucker-Scharff will be joined by Emily Bell, founding director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, Brendan Spain,VP of Advertising for the Americas at the Financial Times, Elizabeth Anne Watkins, PhD student in Communications at Columbia and former case writer at Harvard Business School, and Ryan Brown, SVP of Business Development and Commerce at Gizmodo Media Group.