Sponsored article

Sometimes, a financial or insurance product is covered in a newspaper. It purports to explain the product, and usually highlights its benefits. Most readers may think that the article is written independently by the journalist.

I learned that in some cases, the space for the article is sponsored by the seller of the product. It is really an advertisement (as the seller is paying for the space).

As the sponsor has some say in the way that the article is written, it will usually play down the negative aspects of the product. The consumers may not get a balanced analysis of the product.

In recent years, the frequency of these sponsored articles has increased. The reader should be careful.