Buzzfeed Won’t Run Trump Ads Because They are “Hazardous to our Health”
Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti told employees that the media company is dropping the Republican National Committee as an advertiser, now that Donald Trump is the party’s presumptive nominee, reports WIRED.
The WIRED report, in part, added:
“In an email to the staff, Peretti explained the decision, likening Trump ads to cigarette ads. “We don’t run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health,” Peretti wrote, “and we won’t accept Trump ads for the exact same reason.”
“Peretti took particular issue with Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims, his approach to immigration, his comments about women, and his threats to limit the free press. “We certainly don’t like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company,” the email reads. “However, in some cases we must make business exceptions.”
“Buzzfeed’s decision to withdraw from the advertising deal illustrates just how thorny Trump’s relationship with the media has become. As the candidate consistently bashes the press as “dishonest” and “disgusting,” those same media outlets are struggling to remain unbiased, while also acknowledging that Trump’s campaign—and many of its platforms—are anything but normal. Just as Trump is rewriting the rules around how politicians are supposed to behave, he’s also rewriting the rules around how responsible journalists need to cover what is a historically incendiary and polarizing candidacy.”
