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Now welcome to the award-winning Best of the Left Podcast with clips today from Counter-Spend,

The Young Turks, redacted tonight with Elite Camp, the Tom Harden program,

The David Pakman Show, and Democracy Now.

CNN has announced the formation of a new unit that will not report the news.

Instead, it will take money from corporations to produce content that resembles news,

but is actually PR designed to burnish its client's images.

What's the name CNN gives to this mercenary enterprise?

Courageous.

Well, before you consult a dictionary, CNN is leaping out in front of potential criticism.

This isn't about confusing editorial with advertising.

An executive from Parent Company Turner told the Wall Street Journal about what that paper described as news-like content on behalf of advertisers.

This is about telling advertisers stories, telling similar stories, but clearly labeling that and differentiating that, explained Dan Rice.

Trustworthiness is the point, Rice said. His job title is executive vice president of integrated marketing and branded content.

But he tells us, quote, we're not here to blur the lines.

Let's go.

I guess we're kind of interviewed, we have free today.

Oh my God, how did you know that's right?

Another fantastic interview.

Today's with Michael Azacov. He's an award-winning journalist.

Only worked the Washington Post Newsweek NBC News, was a chief investigator of correspondent.

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