Ads disguised as news are the subject of this Short video for entrepreneurs, small businesses and anyone looking for balanced news. Finding solid, balanced news is challenging enough, but now with all those ads disguised as news, it can make it harder for some.
This video first went up on YouTube on April 25, 2025. The written post was added on October 31, 2026.
Table of Contents
How Can You Spot Ads Disguised as News?
Ads disguised as news can be ads placed between news articles and headlines so a product or service appears to be news. Vetting what you read and looking for the advertisement label, which can shrink down to a dot, may help, in Loren Weisman’s view.
- News on any site and from any political side can be adjusted and altered.
- Ads placed between news headlines may be designed to make a product or service appear to be news.
- The label marking something as an advertisement can keep getting smaller, and on some pages it may only be a dot.
- Vetting what you read carefully can help when looking for true, objective, substantiated information.
Ads Disguised as News: The Full Transcription
Keeping an Eye on the News
Finding solid, balanced news is challenging enough, but now with all those ads disguised as news, it can make it harder for some. My name is Loren Weisman. I’m a brand communications and optics strategist.
And my ask for you today is keep an eye as you’re looking at the news. It doesn’t matter what site, I don’t care where you are. Politically, the news is adjusted, it’s altered. We all know that.
Ads Made to Look Like News
Not one side, not the other side. Both all and right now inside of ads. And this has been occurring for some time, but it’s been growing and ramping up even more. Ads are placed in between news articles, between news headlines to make it appear as if that ad for that product or that service is actually news.
An Advertisement Label Down to a Dot
So be careful as you look at this stuff. Vet it carefully. Those little this is an advertisement is slowly getting smaller and smaller and some of those pages it’s only a dot. So watch out for the ads that are trying to appear as news.
When you’re looking to find true, objective, substantiated information about the news.
Vetting Advertising in My Talks
Vetting the marketing fools and advertising scams for your business.
Questions and Answers
What are ads disguised as news?
Ads disguised as news can be advertisements placed between news articles and headlines so a product or service appears to be news. The practice may have been going on for some time and may be growing and ramping up.
Why are ads disguised as news getting harder to spot?
Ads disguised as news may be getting harder to spot because the label saying something is an advertisement can keep shrinking. On some pages the label may only be a dot, so the ad can blend in with the real headlines, as Loren Weisman sees it.
How can you find objective news among ads that look like headlines?
Keeping an eye on every news site, whatever its politics, and vetting what you read carefully can help. Watching for ads that try to appear as news may matter when the goal is true, objective and substantiated information.
More Videos and the Podcast
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Loren Weisman is a Brand Communications and Optics Strategist who specializes in illuminating authoritative intelligence and amplifying authentic experts.
Weisman is the host of the brand communications and optics podcast Wait What Really OK.
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Ads Disguised as News: Vet It Carefully