Unilever will cut back on advertising if Facebook, YouTube don't do more to combat divisive content

A Unilever building in the Netherlands.
(Image credit: John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the world's largest advertisers plans on cutting back its ad spending on platforms like YouTube and Facebook unless they work harder to stop the spread of fake news and hate speech.

Per prepared remarks obtained by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Unilever Chief Marketing Officer Keith Weed is expected to make the announcement Monday at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual leadership meeting in California. "Unilever will not invest in platforms or environments that do not protect our children or which create division in society, and promote anger or hate," Weed will say. "We will prioritize investing only in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact in society."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.