The alliance between Yahoo Inc. and hundreds of newspaper Web sites has aided publishers in gaining advertising, but could end up costing them independence and flexibility, all while burdening them with the uncertainty of technology that hasn't proven itself yet, Reuters reported Thursday.

Some of the 19 publishers partnering with Yahoo say the program has helped bring in readers and increased advertising in its first phase (in which classified ads are linked between newspaper sites and Yahoo's HotJobs), but nearly a year after the alliance was formed, results are hard to come by.

Some of the publishers partnering with Yahoo include Lee Enterprises Inc., Hearst Corp., McClatchy Co., Cox Newspapers and Media General. Some of the largest publishers in the United States, like Gannett Co. Inc. and the Tribune Co., chose not to partner with Yahoo, and are developing a display advertising network of their own, Reuters reported.

Experts on Wall Street say those that have joined with Yahoo are making an important first step.

“They have woken up to the fact that their hegemony in the local market is fading, and therefore they need a partnership,” said Peter Appert, a Goldman Sachs analyst, according to Reuters.

Dan Hayes, spokesmand for St. Louis Post-Dispatch publisher Lee Enterprises told Reuters that Yahoo has been beneficial to the Post-Dispatch.

“We pick up eyeballs. We gain traffic,” he said.

But newspapers should not place all their faith in one strategy, said Jeff Jarvis, head of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism, BuzzMachine journalism blog writer and SFN contributing author.

“My fear is they're going to think, 'OK, we've done this deal, we're OK now,'” Jarvis said.