CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns:fb="http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head>  <script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> <title class="instapaper_title">Demand Media » Encyclo » Nieman Journalism Lab</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-content/themes/Labby/encyclostyles.css" type="text/css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-content/themes/Labby/niemanlab-shared.css" type="text/css" />         <meta name='robots' content='max-image-preview:large' /> <style>img:is([sizes="auto" i], [sizes^="auto," i]) { contain-intrinsic-size: 3000px 1500px }</style> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//ajax.googleapis.com' /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/www.niemanlab.org\/wordpress\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.2"}}; /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(i,n){var o,s,e;function c(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function p(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data),r=(e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0),new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data));return t.every(function(e,t){return e===r[t]})}function u(e,t,n){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf3","\ud83c\uddfa\u200b\ud83c\uddf3")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!n(e,"\ud83d\udc26\u200d\u2b1b","\ud83d\udc26\u200b\u2b1b")}return!1}function f(e,t,n){var r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):i.createElement("canvas"),a=r.getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),o=(a.textBaseline="top",a.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(function(e){o[e]=t(a,e,n)}),o}function t(e){var t=i.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,i.head.appendChild(t)}"undefined"!=typeof Promise&&(o="wpEmojiSettingsSupports",s=["flag","emoji"],n.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},e=new Promise(function(e){i.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",e,{once:!0})}),new Promise(function(t){var n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",r=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"}),a=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(r),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(a.onmessage=function(e){c(n=e.data),a.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}c(n=f(s,u,p))}t(n)}).then(function(e){for(var t in e)n.supports[t]=e[t],n.supports.everything=n.supports.everything&&n.supports[t],"flag"!==t&&(n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&n.supports[t]);n.supports.everythingExceptFlag=n.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!n.supports.flag,n.DOMReady=!1,n.readyCallback=function(){n.DOMReady=!0}}).then(function(){return e}).then(function(){var e;n.supports.everything||(n.readyCallback(),(e=n.source||{}).concatemoji?t(e.concatemoji):e.wpemoji&&e.twemoji&&(t(e.twemoji),t(e.wpemoji)))}))}((window,document),window._wpemojiSettings); /* ]]> */ </script> <style id='wp-emoji-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> img.wp-smiley, img.emoji { display: inline !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; width: 1em !important; margin: 0 0.07em !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; background: none !important; padding: 0 !important; } </style> <style id='co-authors-plus-coauthors-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow [class*=wp-block-co-authors-plus]{display:inline} </style> <style id='co-authors-plus-avatar-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar :where(img){height:auto;max-width:100%;vertical-align:bottom}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow .wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar :where(img){vertical-align:middle}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar:is(.alignleft,.alignright){display:table}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-avatar.aligncenter{display:table;margin-inline:auto} </style> <style id='co-authors-plus-image-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> .wp-block-co-authors-plus-image{margin-bottom:0}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image :where(img){height:auto;max-width:100%;vertical-align:bottom}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-coauthors.is-layout-flow .wp-block-co-authors-plus-image :where(img){vertical-align:middle}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image:is(.alignfull,.alignwide) :where(img){width:100%}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image:is(.alignleft,.alignright){display:table}.wp-block-co-authors-plus-image.aligncenter{display:table;margin-inline:auto} </style> <style id='qsm-quiz-style-inline-css' type='text/css'> </style> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> /*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} </style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css' type='text/css'> :root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square: 1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3: 4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4: 3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2: 3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3: 2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9: 16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16: 9/16;--wp--preset--color--black: #000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray: #abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white: #ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink: #f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red: #cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange: #ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber: #fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan: #7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan: #00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue: #8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue: #0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple: #9b51e0;--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red: linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight: linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small: 13px;--wp--preset--font-size--medium: 20px;--wp--preset--font-size--large: 36px;--wp--preset--font-size--x-large: 42px;--wp--preset--spacing--20: 0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30: 0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40: 1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50: 1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60: 2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70: 3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80: 5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural: 6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep: 12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined: 6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp: 6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap: 0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap: 0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display: flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap: wrap;align-items: center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}body .is-layout-grid{display: grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin: 0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;}.has-black-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color: var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background: var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;} :where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap: 1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap: 1.25em;} :where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap: 2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap: 2em;} :root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size: 1.5em;line-height: 1.6;} </style> <script type="text/javascript" src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.1/jquery.min.js?ver=1.10.1" id="jquery-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wp-json/" /><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/xmlrpc.php?rsd" /> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.7.2" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/" /> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://www.niemanlab.org/?p=32522' /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.niemanlab.org%2Fencyclo%2Fdemand-media%2F" /> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.niemanlab.org%2Fencyclo%2Fdemand-media%2F&format=xml" /> <style type="text/css"> ol.footnotes li {list-style-type:decimal;} ol.footnotes{font-size:0.8em; color:#666666;} </style> <script type='text/javascript' src='http://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.js?ver=1.3.2'></script>  <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/NiemanJournalismLab/" title="Nieman Lab latest posts" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/comments/feed/" title="Nieman Lab latest comments" /> <link rel="pingback" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/xmlrpc.php" />   <meta property="og:title" content="Demand Media » Encyclo » Nieman Journalism Lab"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:image" content="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/796605421389692928/mu3DGTA4_reasonably_small.jpg"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Nieman Lab"/> <meta property="fb:page_id" content="29057838653"/>  <meta name="viewport" content="width=1060" />  <script src="/mint/?js" type="text/javascript"></script>  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/layout/print.css" type="text/css" media="print" />  <script type="text/javascript" src="http://use.typekit.com/lru6tqb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script> </head><body>  <div id="package">  <div id="stripaboveheader"> <div id="stripaboveheaderinner"> <div id="stripaboveheadermenu"> <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/"><img src="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-content/themes/Labby/resources/niemanlab-topstrip-logo.png" width="196" height="14" align="left" class="stripaboveheaderflag" /></a> <div class="stripaboveheaderrightside"> <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/about/">about</a>  /   <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/archives/">archives</a>  /   <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/contact/">contact</a>  /   <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/subscribe/">subscribe</a>  /   <a href="http://twitter.com/niemanlab">twitter</a>     <form method="get" id="stripaboveheadersearch" action="http://www.niemanlab.org/"><input type="text" name="s" value="" name="s" id="s" /> <input type="submit" class="stripaboveheadersearchbutton" id="searchsubmit" value="SEARCH" /></form></div> </div> </div> </div>  <div id="encycloheader"> <div id="encycloheaderinner"> <div id="encycloheaderflag"> <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/"><img src="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-content/themes/Labby/resources/encyclo-flag11.png" height="126" width="900" alt="Encyclo / Nieman Journalism Lab" style="margin-bottom:8px"></a> <div id="encycloheadernav"><ul> <li><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/">Encyclo home</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/about-encyclo/">About</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo-search/">Search entries</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/improve-encyclo/">Make Encyclo better</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/e-w-scripps/">Encyclo roulette</a></li> </ul></div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> </div>  </div>    <div id="encycloheadertrianglewrapper">  <div id="container"> <div class="encycloheadertriangleleft"></div> <div id="container-inner">  <div id="encyclomainbar"> <script type="text/javascript"> jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery(".encyclo-altentry-sharing-wrapper").hide(); jQuery(".encyclo-altentry-sharing-trigger").click(function() { jQuery(this).next(".encyclo-altentry-sharing-wrapper").slideToggle(500); }); }); </script> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing-trigger"><a href="#"></a></div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing-wrapper"> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing"> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing-chunk-1"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked" style="padding-bottom: 10px;">Share this entry</div> <a href="http://twitter.com/share" style="padding-bottom: 50px;" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-via="niemanlab">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <div style="margin:15px;"></div> <iframe src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&colorscheme=light&font&height=21" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:150px; height:21px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe> <div style="margin:15px;"></div> <iframe src="http://www.instapaper.com/e2?url=https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/&title=Demand Media:%20Encyclo:%20Nieman%20Journalism%20Lab&description=" width="100" height="50" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:150px; height:21px;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe> </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing-chunk-2"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked">Make this entry better</div> <p>What are we missing? Is there a key link we skipped, or a part of the story we got wrong?</p> <p><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/improve/">Let us know</a> — we’re counting on you to help Encyclo get better.</p> </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-sharing-chunk-3"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked">Put Encyclo on your site</div> Embed this Encyclo entry in your blog or webpage by copying this code into your HTML:<br /><br /> <textarea rows="4" cols="20"><iframe src="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/?widg=mini" class="encycloembed" width="256" height="140" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" align="right" style="margin:10px 0px 10px 20px;"></iframe></textarea> </div> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-wrapper">   <div id="encycloentryheadertopper"></div> <div id="encyclo-altentry-header"> <div class="encycloheadline-wrapper"> <img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/796605421389692928/mu3DGTA4_bigger.jpg" width="73" height="73" alt="Demand Media logo" class="encycloheaderimage2" /> <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/" class="encycloheadline2" rel="bookmark">Demand Media</a> </div>  </div>  <div id="encycloblockbelowheader">  <div class="encycloleftnarrativewing"> <div class="encyclo-section-header">Key links:</div> <div class="encyclo-section-header" style="font-size: .9em;">Primary website:<br /> <a href="http://www.demandmedia.com/">demandmedia.com</a></div> <div class="encyclo-section-header" style="font-size: .9em;">Primary Twitter:<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/DemandMedia">@DemandMedia</a></div> <div class="encycloactionbutton"><a href="https://pinboard.in/u:niemanlab/t:demandmedia/">All key links »</a></div><br /> </div>  <div class="encyclonarrative instapaper_body"> <div class="encyclowarning" style="border: 5px solid #800000; padding: 15px; margin: 10px 0 25px; background: whitesmoke;"><strong>Editor’s Note</strong>: Encyclo has not been regularly updated since August 2014, so information posted here is likely to be out of date and may be no longer accurate. It’s best used as a snapshot of the media landscape at that point in time.</div> <div class="beforemore"><p><a href="http://www.demandmedia.com/">Demand Media</a>, founded in 2006, is an online media company that quickly grew to prominence by algorithmically assigning and publishing stories based on user-demand signals, such as search and social media trends.</p> <p>It typically pays authors a low sum of money for these posts, often <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/what_its_like_to_write_for_demand_media.php">about $15 per contribution</a>, and assigns posts only when it believes they will generate enough revenue to earn their keep.</p> <p>Operating a number of prominent brands such as <a href="http://www.ehow.com/">eHow</a>, <a href="http://www.cracked.com/">Cracked</a>, and <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/">Livestrong.com</a>, Demand Media has been <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/04/the-newsonomics-of-content-arbitrage/">criticized as a content farm</a> (a charge <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/01/27/demand-media-ceo-content-farm-label-is-insulting/">CEO Richard Rosenblatt has strongly denied</a>) even as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/demand-media-plans-for-major-publisher-partnerships-2010-2">traditional media sites</a> like <a title="USA Today" href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/usa-today/">USA Today</a> have partnered with the company to build an inventory of inexpensive content.</p> <p>In January 2011, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/01/26/technology/demand_media_IPO/index.htm">Demand Media went public</a> at a valuation of more than $1 billion, making it worth more (on paper) than the <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/new-york-times/">New York Times</a>. Filings related to that offering showed that, despite its low labor costs, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/08/12/where-did-demand-medias-profits-go/">Demand Media had yet to make an annual profit</a>. The IPO faced intense scrutiny for the <a href="http://kara.allthingsd.com/20101223/demand-medias-ipo-which-wont-happen-until-after-the-new-year-now-depends-on-how-it-accounts-for-content/">media company’s unusual accounting practices</a> as well as the potential danger of a <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/google/">Google</a> backlash against low-value content.</p> </div><div class="readmoretrigger encycloactionbutton instapaper_ignore"><a name="#">Keep reading »</a></div><div class="aftermore"><a name="below"></a><p>In fact, <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/02/25/google-content-farms/">Google would crack down on “low-quality sites” just a month later</a>, but Demand Media’s properties were largely spared of negative traffic effects. When Google released an update to its algorithm in April 2011, though, traffic to Demand’s eHow <a href="http://www.sistrix.com/blog/991-panda-vol.-ii-ehow.com-got-hit-this-time.html">fell sharply</a>. By the end of the year, the company’s stock <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/02/demand-media-reports-64-million-4th-quarter-loss.html">had dropped sharply, and it was losing money</a>. In 2013, Demand also attributed its <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/us-demandmedia-results-idUKBRE9A61EF20131107">first revenue decline since it went public</a> to Google search changes. The only healthy component of its business was <a href="http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/epic-fail-the-rise-and-fall-of-demand-media-1200914646/">reported to be its domain registration</a>, which it was attempting to spin off. By 2014, Demand <a href="http://digiday.com/publishers/can-demand-media-salvage-branded-content/">had begun creating</a> its search-oriented how-to content for marketers.</p> <p>Demand has made efforts to battle its reputation for cheap content. In May 2011, it announced <a href="http://www.demandmedia.com/press-releases/2011/05/05/demand-media-creates-new-opportunities-for-feature-writers">it was seeking to add longer, feature-length articles</a> to its sites, for which writers could be paid up to $350 for stories of 850 words or longer. It <a href="http://www.webpronews.com/ehow-demand-media-quality-2011-05">also said</a> it was looking to try new story formats and curatorial methods to increase quality.</p> <p>Demand Media was founded by Rosenblatt, former chairman of MySpace, and Shawn Colo, a former private equity investor. Rosenblatt <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/us-demandmedia-ceo-idUSBRE99D0P220131014">abruptly left the company</a> and his position as chairman and CEO in 2013. The company also owns <a href="http://www.enom.com/">eNom</a>, the world’s second-largest domain registrar, and in 2011 <a href="http://paidcontent.org/article/419-demand-media-buys-indieclick-for-14-million-expands-google-ad-deal/">bought</a> blog ad network IndieClick and social media developer RSS Graffiti. It <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/03/demand-media-buys-liveblogging-tool-coveritlive/">owned the liveblogging software CoverItLive</a> from 2011 to 2014, when it was <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-money/valuation/scribblelive-acquires-coveritlive/article19608348/">sold to ScribbleLive</a>. In 2013, it <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130219/demand-media-splits-in-two-spinning-off-domain-registrar-business-from-media-unit/">announced</a> that it plans to split off its domain registrar division into a separate company and later <a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130319/how-much-for-a-how-to-lesson-demand-media-gets-into-paid-content-by-buying-creativebug/">bought paid craft site CreativeBug</a>.</p> </div><div class="readlesstrigger encycloactionbutton instapaper_ignore"><a name="#">Show less »</a></div> <script type="text/javascript"> jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery(".aftermore").hide(); jQuery(".readlesstrigger").hide(); jQuery(".readmoretrigger").click(function() { jQuery(this).next(".aftermore").slideToggle(500); jQuery(".readmoretrigger").toggle(); jQuery(".readlesstrigger").toggle(); }); jQuery(".readlesstrigger").click(function() { jQuery(".aftermore").slideToggle(500); jQuery(".readmoretrigger").toggle(); jQuery(".readlesstrigger").toggle(); }); }); </script> </div> </div> <div id="encycloentrymiddlestrip"> <div id="encycloentrymiddlestriptext"> <div class="encyclo-pac-title"><strong>Peers, allies, & competitors</strong>:</div> <div class="encyclo-pac-list"> <em><a class="pac-have-encyclo" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/yahoo/">Yahoo</a></em>, <em><a class="pac-have-encyclo" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/usa-today/">USA Today</a></em>, <em><a class="pac-have-encyclo" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/google/">Google</a></em>, <em><a class="pac-have-encyclo" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/new-york-times/">The New York Times</a></em>, <a href="http://www.about.com/">About.com</a>, <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/">Associated Content</a>, <a href="http://www.ehow.com/">eHow</a><br /> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> </div>  <div id="encycloleftcolumn"> <div class="lab-stories-pull"> <div class="encyclo-section-header">Recent Nieman Lab coverage:</div> <div class="lab-stories-pull-datesource">Sept. 23, 2015 / Laura Hazard Owen</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-summary"><strong><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2015/09/how-gigaom-died-and-then-came-back-to-life-again-kind-of/">How Gigaom died and then came back to life again, kind of</a></strong> — On a Monday night in March, Gigaom, the site where I’d worked for four years, abruptly shut down. In a hastily scheduled conference call, the company’s 80-plus employees were told that we’d run out of m...</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-datesource">Feb. 10, 2014 / Joshua Benton</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-summary"><strong><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2014/02/4-headlines-that-will-restore-your-flagging-faith-in-journalism/">4 Headlines that Will Restore Your Flagging Faith in Journalism</a></strong> — A Kid Came Up To Her In The Hall And Told Her She Saved His Life. He Wasn’t The Only One In Tears. Having A Bad Day? Here Are 46 Powerful Things You Should Really Hear. A Firefighter Went To Put Out A Fire, But He ...</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-datesource">Jan. 19, 2012 / Ken Doctor</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-summary"><strong><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2012/01/the-newsonomics-of-signature-content/">The newsonomics of signature content</a></strong> — What's your signature content? Quick: If somebody buttonholed you in an elevator, a school play, or a bar, and said, "Why should I pay you for that?" — what do you tell them? Each passing week, it seems we're further i...</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-datesource">April 22, 2011 / Mark Coddington</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-summary"><strong><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2011/04/this-week-in-review-the-flipboard-dilemma-trove-and-news-me-arrive-and-a-big-paywall-number/">This Week in Review: The Flipboard dilemma, Trove and News.me arrive, and a paywall number for the NYT</a></strong> — Every Friday, Mark Coddington sums up the week’s top stories about the future of news. This week: Debates over Flipboard's role in the publishing world; some old-line news orgs get into the social aggregation business;...</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-datesource">April 21, 2011 / Ken Doctor</div><div class="lab-stories-pull-summary"><strong><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2011/04/the-newsonomics-of-a-single-investigative-story/">The newsonomics of a single investigative story</a></strong> — It's a week to celebrate great investigative work. But as journalists sat around their terminals awaiting the Pulitzer bulletin, an investigative series broke across California, perhaps reaching more audience more quickl...</div> <div class="encycloactionbutton"><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/tag/demand-media/">All Lab posts on Demand Media »</a></div><br /> </div>  </div>   <div id="encyclorightcolumn"> <div class="mediagazer-pull"> <div class="encyclo-section-header">Recently around the web, from Mediagazer:</div> <div class="encycloactionbutton"><a href="http://mediagazer.com/search/query?q=%22demand media%22">All Mediagazer posts on Demand Media »</a></div><br /> </div>  </div> <div id="encycloentryfooter"> <div id="encycloentryfootertext"> <strong>Primary author</strong>: Mark Coddington. <strong>Main text last updated</strong>: July 17, 2014.<br /> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="encyclo-altentry-improvebar"> <div class="encyclo-altentry-improvebar-chunk-1"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked">Make this entry better</div> <script type="text/javascript">var submitted=false;</script> <iframe name="hidden_iframe" id="hidden_iframe" style="display:none;" onload="if(submitted){window.location='http://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo-improve-thanks/';}"></iframe> <form action="https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/formResponse?formkey=dHlvX3hwbVE2aXJQRksyd3VZc1ltTlE6MQ&embedded=true&ifq" method="post" target="hidden_iframe" onsubmit="submitted=true;"> <div class="encyclo-improve-single-questiontext">How could this entry improve? What's missing, unclear, or wrong?</div> <textarea name="entry.0.single" class="encyclo-improve-single-longinput" id="entry_0"></textarea> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <div class="encyclo-improve-single-question1"> <div class="encyclo-improve-single-questiontext">Name (optional)</div> <input type="text" name="entry.2.single" value="" class="encyclo-improve-single-shortinput" id="entry_2"/> </div> <div class="encyclo-improve-single-question2"> <div class="encyclo-improve-single-questiontext">Email (optional)</div> <input type="text" name="entry.3.single" value="" class="encyclo-improve-single-shortinput" id="entry_3"/> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> <input type="hidden" name="entry.4.single" value="Demand Media" id="entry_4"/> <input type="hidden" name="pageNumber" value="0"/><input type="hidden" name="backupCache" value=""/> <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Submit" class="encyclo-improve-single-button"/></form> </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-improvebar-chunk-2"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked encyclo-improvebar-headline">Explore: <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/west-seattle-blog/" rel="bookmark">West Seattle Blog</a></div> <div class="encyclo-improvebar-excerpt"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/822910639169380352/4auPLZNY_bigger.jpg" width="73" height="73" alt="West Seattle Blog logo" class="encyclo-fourwidepromo-image" /><p>West Seattle Blog is an online-only hyperlocal news operation that covers several neighborhoods in West Seattle. The site was founded in December 2005 by Tracy Record as a personal blog but became a news site in 2006. In 2007, Record and her husband, Patrick Sand, began selling ads and working on the site full-time. It…</p> </div> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div>  <div class="encyclo-altentry-bottombar"> <div class="encyclo-altentry-bottombar-chunk-1"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked">Put Encyclo on your site</div> Embed this Encyclo entry in your blog or webpage by copying this code into your HTML:<br /><br /> <textarea rows="4" cols="20" id="encyclo-embed-bottom"><iframe src="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/demand-media/?widg=mini" class="encycloembed" width="256" height="140" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" align="right" style="margin:10px 0px 10px 20px;"></iframe></textarea> </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-bottombar-chunk-2"> <div class="encyclo-section-header-naked">Recently updated entries</div> <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/corporation-for-public-broadcasting/">Corporation for Public Broadcasting</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/tribune-publishing/">Tribune Publishing</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/upworthy/">Upworthy</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/e-w-scripps/">E.W. Scripps</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/quartz/">Quartz</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/facebook/">Facebook</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/cnn/">CNN</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/new-haven-independent/">New Haven Independent</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/everyblock/">EveryBlock</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/guardian/">The Guardian</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/sports-illustrated/">Sports Illustrated</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/time/">Time</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/al-jazeera/">Al Jazeera</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/conde-nast/">Conde Nast</a>  <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/encyclo/newsweek/">Newsweek</a>  </div> <div class="encyclo-altentry-bottombar-chunk-3"> <a href="http://www.knightfoundation.org/"><img src="http://www.niemanlab.org/images/knight-foundation-logo-for-encyclo.png" width="250" height="55" style="padding-bottom: 40px;"/></a> <div style="font-style: italic; font-size: 1.3em;">Encyclo is made possible by a grant from the Knight Foundation.</div> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> </div> </div>   </div>  <div class="encycloheadertriangleright"></div> </div>  </div>  </div>   <div id="footer3"> <div id="footer3-inner" > <div id="footer3-leftcol"> <div class="footer3-contentblock"> <div class="fakecaps footer-header">Latest in the Lab</div> <div class="footer3-latest-story"><a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/local-newsrooms-are-using-ai-to-listen-in-on-public-meetings/">Local newsrooms are using AI to listen in on public meetings</a></strong></div> <div class="fakecaps footer-bottomtease"><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/">See recent posts »</a></div> </div> <div class="footer3-contentblock"> <div class="fakecaps footer-header">From @niemanlab</div> <div class="footer3-latest-story"> </div> <div class="fakecaps footer-bottomtease"><a href="http://twitter.com/niemanlab">See latest tweets »</a></div> </div> </div> <div id="footer3-rightcol"> <div class="footer3-contentblock"> <div class="footer3-bigger">The Nieman Journalism Lab is a collaborative attempt to figure out how quality journalism can survive and thrive in the Internet age.</div> <div class="fakecaps footer-bottomtease"><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/about/">Learn more »</a></div> <div class="fakecaps footer-bottomtease footer-contact"><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/contact/">Contact us »</a></div> </div> <div class="footer3-contentblock-bottom fakecaps"> <img src="https://www.niemanlab.org/wordpress/wp-content/themes/Labby/resources/harvard_40.png" class="footer3-leftimage" />Some rights reserved. <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/about/#copyright">Copyright information »</a> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </div>  </div>   <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-6019584-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); pageTracker._trackPageLoadTime(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var _sf_async_config={uid:16892,domain:"niemanlab.org"}; (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://a248.e.akamai.net/chartbeat.download.akamai.com/102508/" : "http://static.chartbeat.com/") + "js/chartbeat.js"); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })(); </script> </div>  </body> </html>