True/Slant, which has been in beta, officially launches today. It’s a new Web site that is, according to Howard Kurtz, “mapping a new relationship between journalists, readers and advertisers.”
Lewis Dvorkin, founder of the site, which officially launches today after a trial run, makes no apologies for throwing out the old model. “It’s tailored for the entrepreneurial journalist,” he says. “We’re enabling and empowering journalists to develop their own brand.”
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While some contributors receive a stipend, others have an equity stake or a share in advertising revenue that they solicit. Dvorkin says such contacts with advertisers would be disclosed and that True/Slant editors would step in if a writer tried to post inappropriate material about an advertiser. “I come from the land of traditional media standards,” he says.
In another departure from the usual practice, companies will be offered their own pages on the Web site, but these would be clearly labeled as advertorials.
