Canadian Geographic in thrall to its sponsors, says Canadaland site

[This post has been updated] Canadian Geographic magazine and its publisher the Royal Canadian Geographic Society (RCGS) are in the crosshairs of the muckraking website Canadaland. Headed The Sad Story of Canadian Geographic, the first post in projected series says that, essentially, the magazine has sold out to corporate interests.

Like many such stories (not just on Canadaland), principals named in the story refuse to comment. But a good deal of the post rests on quotes from former employees who say the magazine -- keen on developing sponsorship revenue -- has strayed considerably from its mission. Some of the harshest criticism is for André Préfontaine formerly the publisher, now Canadian Geographic's chief development officer*.

One of the quoted passages was from the former acting editor Dan Rubinstein, who left the job at the end of 2012, after four years as the managing editor. In an excerpt taken from his book Born to Walk he explains why:

"...(I spent) a decade as a magazine editor, cresting at the top post at a respected publication. Financial turmoil threatened to swamp the magazine industry. The non-profit where I worked responded by creating 'independent and objective' content in partnership with corporate and government backers...Our sponsors were determined to ramp up either public support or profits, and I was aiding and abetting their newspeak. 

My dream job, which I had moved across the country to take, became a nightmare... A watchdog was opening the gate for the wolves."

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Hearst's Harper's Bazaar embracing branded content approach

Harper's Bazaar, the high-end fashion title from Hearst Corporation, has embraced "branded content" or "native advertising" or what you will in a major way with the launch of a new website next Monday in which advertisers can interleave their own products with editorial items in a new daily feature called #TheList. 

According to a New York Times story, Monday to Friday sponsors will be able to include their products as branded content and a link to their own site as well as running digital banner ads associated with #TheList. On weekends, they can include their products exclusively.

While the feature is the first time that Harper’s has used a branded content product, the announcement follows a broader effort by Hearst to create products for advertisers that, while labeled sponsored, resemble editorial content, a trend many publishers are turning to known as native advertising or branded content. 

In May, the company announced a series of native advertising products, including allowing advertisers to publish topical content about a developing story that can run alongside editorial content and pages where advertisers can post short videos, curate social media posts or sponsor photo galleries.

Hearst executives said that any sponsored content will be clearly labelled. Some of the products will also be available on ShopBazaar.com, which allows readers to buy products featured in the magazine. 

“Our attitude in this is that if we can create a really high-quality advertising experience that taps into our editorial team’s insights and into what resonates with readers, and do so in a way that it’s transparent, we think that is really powerful,” said Todd R. Haskell, the senior vice president and chief revenue officer for Hearst Magazines Digital Media. 

“We have an opportunity to create something from scratch that lets us develop one of these branded content experiences that is just so perfect for the reader and that lets us talk about the kinds of things that our readers love to interact with.”