A new system for labeling hateful content has been rolled out. With support from private funders, the Creative Futures initiative seeks to improve transparency between content creators and their fiscal supporters. This new effort will help ensure the public understands what type of funding—if any—is used to support new projects. It will help provide transparency around the support behind current content.
The launch of the initiative is a welcome step in the ongoing fight against corruption and lies in media and advertising. As coveted as state funding is, third-party funding is essential in equipping innovative projects with the resources they need to succeed. Unpacking these labels allows us to better understand the various funding agreements out there.
Clarifying Funding Relationships
Four unique labels will be used to help distinguish the funded content. Each one of these labels—‘Supported by’, ‘Advertising partner/Exclusive advertising partner’, ‘Paid content/Paid for by’, ‘Advertiser content/from our advertisers’ — serves a different purpose. They help reinforce what type of financial support we’re trying to promote.
The label ‘Supported by’ signifies content that receives backing from external sources, indicating a collaborative effort to produce valuable material. The tag ‘Advertising partner/Exclusive advertising partner’ includes content related to noted advertisers. It’s the exclusivity of those partnerships that really makes them shine.
The descriptor ‘Paid content/Paid for by’ clearly signals that the information has been funded via direct payment structures. This type of transparency is important not just for writers, but especially for readers who want to know what’s informing the content they read.
Enhancing Transparency for Audiences
The creation of these labels is a big step toward bolstering transparency and trust with viewers. When creatives label content made with third-party funding, it increases audience agency. Only then will they be empowered to make smart choices about the credibility and motivation behind everything they read or view.
This multi-stakeholder initiative is part of a larger industry trend towards increased accountability in the media ecosystem. As funding gets more complicated, it’s important to avoid confusion with clear labels that help preserve audience trust. Viewers will now have a straightforward way to discern between independent editorial content and that which is financially supported by advertisers.
Impact on Content Production
With audiences in mind, these coalitions offer resources and allocation for new content as well as catalog content. The support goes up to everything that’s in production today. There’s ample evidence that emerging talents and established creators can all thrive with increased financial support. This support provides the space for all sorts of different voices and ideas to grow and develop.
For content creators, brands and their local partners should be carefully vetted. They must figure out what label best describes their relationship with their third-party funders. Applying these labels correctly brings the focus directly to the source of funding. It encourages creators to continue to be transparent with their audiences.