An Historical Analysis of Journalists′ Attitudes toward Advertisers and Advertising's Influence

Journalists often seem to have contradictory attitudes toward advertisers and advertising's influence. The relationship is necessary but complicated and no studies have investigated its historic roots. Thus, this article explores the perspective of “journalism's early insiders,” through an historical analysis of autobiographies, biographies, and magazine articles written by and about early U.S. newspaper reporters and editors. Results reveal eight interrelated factors contributing to the origins of these attitudes. The article concludes with implications and future research recommendations.