BuzzFeed will renege on an ad deal with the Republican National Committee because of the nature of Donald Trump's candidacy, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced Monday morning. BuzzFeed had signed an advertising agreement with the RNC in April, before Trump became the Republican Party's presumptive nominee. Peretti said that while BuzzFeed does not "expect to agree with the positions ... of all our advertisers," Trump's controversial statements — such as his suggestion to ban Muslim immigration or his comments toward women and immigrants — have made it necessary to "turn away revenue" rather than feature advertisements for the candidate.
"The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world," Peretti wrote in an email to staff. "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." BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith elaborated that the decision was based in business concerns, noting that editorial decision-making regarding the election would not be affected by Peretti's announcement.
Politico reports that forfeiting the ad buy will cost BuzzFeed $1.3 million. Read Peretti's full statement at BuzzFeed News.
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