Guardian Labs is re-committing to the idea of transparency in its content, adding funding labels. This important change is designed to provide greater transparency to the financial assistance provided to new and existing projects. In doing so, it protects consumers and makes readers of all ages smarter about the media they interact with.
In order to counter this trend, Guardian Labs will start using four different labels in all of our content, effective immediately. These labels will help to illustrate the complex web of funding streams at play. In this manner, readers easily identify which pieces have already garnered support from outside stakeholders. The effort is in keeping with Guardian Labs’ mission to adhere fiercely to editorial independence while cultivating innovative partnerships.
Funding for Diverse Content
The funding that Guardian Labs accepts doesn’t just come from the money-in-exchange-for-editorial-content types of deals. This financial assistance applies to both novel endeavors and pre-existing material. It allows you to update and build off of past work. By embracing this model, Guardian Labs aims to create a sustainable environment for content creation while balancing the interests of advertisers and readers.
These funding labels are already causing a splash in the media ecosystem. This decision is part of a larger trend towards transparency, which is the only way to truly build trust with your audiences. Its sponsored content studio, Guardian Labs, is unique in openly declaring who funds its work. We believe that this action increases its objectivity and improves readers’ ability to understand the information it contains.
Clear Labeling for Reader Awareness
The labels that will come with Guardian Labs’ content are meant to be clear, honest, and easy to understand. The first label, ‘Supported by’, is meant to convey that a work has been financially supported. The second label, ‘Advertising partner/Exclusive advertising partner’, should help make clear if there are any exclusive advertising partnerships at play in the funding process.
Additionally, the label ‘Paid content/Paid for by’ specifies that certain content was created as a result of direct financial investment from an advertiser. Finally, the label ‘Advertiser content/from our advertisers’ would indicate that the content was directly created by the advertisers themselves. This kind of transparency is important. It’s how you, the reader, know if something you’re reading was commercially influenced.
Commitment to Integrity and Audience Trust
By introducing these labels, Guardian Labs is doing a huge industry first. This unilateral step indicates that the industry is starting to place a premium on transparency. Guardian Labs brings engagement to readers’ attention with this upfront statement. It further addresses worries about conflicts of interest in creative content production.
The goal of instituting these funding labels is to cultivate a more educated public. As the public continues to hold media organizations accountable, such transparency initiatives help to promote trust and credibility. Finally, Guardian Labs takes quality content very seriously. Perhaps most importantly, they focus on communicating the structure of financial support clearly and effectively to their audience.