The contrast between mainstream and fringe news sites isn't just about content. A web analytics firm has found clear differences in their underlying advertising technology.
While the content on fringe news sites may be out of the mainstream - from made-up stories to ones with a grain of truth twisted to fit hyper-partisan views - the technology used to track readers and show them ads isn't. It doesn't appear that advertisers are shunning fringe news sites the way they do with porn and gambling.
Fringe sites, however, tend to be less sophisticated in their advertising. For instance, fringe sites typically aren't as good about employing tools to maximize ad revenue by auctioning spots to the highest bidder, according to the study from New-York based Mezzobit. Instead, they generally tap run-of-the-mill services from ad networks like Google's and Facebook's.
One reason? While mainstream sites need to make a lot of money, that's not the More
