“We don’t run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won’t accept Trump ads for the exact same reason,” wrote BuzzFeed CEP Jonah Peretti.
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The agreement between the two was signed in April and called for BuzzFeed to run ads in the fall. But the RNC says it never planned to use BuzzFeed.
RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said “space was reserved on many platforms, but we never intended to use BuzzFeed.”
“It is ironic that they have not ruled out taking money from a candidate currently under investigation by the FBI,” Spicer added, in reference to Hillary Clinton.
BuzzFeed's decision runs counter to most media companies that can turn substantial profits from running political ads. The agreement with the RNC was reportedly worth $1.3 million.
However, Peretti is taking a stand.
“[W]e certainly don’t like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company,” but this is a “business exception” the company is making, Peretti wrote.
“The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs,” Peretti wrote.
The company says its decision to drop the RNC’s ads won’t change the site’s news coverage. Some are cheering the decision, but critics have long accused the site of having a liberal bias.
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