Paid to Look Like Truth: The Prevalence and Dark Patterns of Advertorials in News Outlets

A new study reveals that deceptive 'advertorials'—ads disguised as editorial content—appear on 1 in 3 major news sites, including The Guardian, CNN, and EuroNews. Researchers analyzed 185,000 ad URLs over 5 months, finding these ads are 81% more effective than traditional banners. Legal disclaimers are often deliberately obscured, raising serious concerns about user deception and the erosion of trust in credible journalism.