UK and US publishers unite in #BackdontBlock call

Apr 08, 2020 at 07:07 pm by Staff


Media associations in the UK and US are calling on advertisers not to block advertising from appearing on COVID-19-related stories.

Indeed Ellen Hammett writes in Marketing Week that new Lumen research suggests advertisers should actively be placing ads next to coronavirus-related content.

UK newspaper publishers have written to advertisers asking them to support journalism as the industry braces to lose GBP£50 million ($100 million) from advertising blocklists - the lists of keywords that advertisers put in place to stop their adverts appearing against inappropriate content - over three months.

Using the #BackdontBlock hashtag, they say advertising industry 'blocklists' are preventing adverts from appearing alongside online stories about coronavirus, although all news brands have seen a surge in demand from readers for quality reporting.

The appeal is supported by the trade bodies Newsworks, the News Media Association and the Society of Editors as well as the Association for Online Publishers, Internet Advertising Bureau and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

Tracy De Groose, executive chair of Newsworks, says the industry appeal is incredibly simple: "back, and don't block British journalism.

"Please remove 'coronavirus' from your blocklists. Readers are relying on us right now, and we are relying on advertising to help ensure the public receive information and advice from the very best sources."

In the US, the News Media Alliance and Digital Content Next have made a similar call to advertisers, saying keyword blocking jeopardises the sustainability of high-quality journalism during a critical time.

Alliance president and chief executive David Chavern says that while news organisations are working tirelessly to provide a life-saving service, "keyword blocking serves to punish publishers for this very same coverage, with potentially catastrophic effects."

Digital Content Next president and chief executive Jason Kint says immature tech platforms are blocking the funding of essential journalism. "We repeat our call for the advertising technology and verification platforms, including Google and Oracle, which have a strong history of reducing friction, to dedicate urgent resources towards solutions here, including exempting or encouraging trusted news organisations as a default."

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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