BuzzFeed Terminates RNC Deal To Run Political Ads On Site Due To Donald Trump's Rhetoric
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- BuzzFeed will not be running Republican National Committee political ads on its site.
The website said Donald Trump's rhetoric caused it to terminate a reported $1.3 million deal with the RNC to run political ads on the site this fall.
In an e-mail sent to BuzzFeed employees, CEO Jonah Peretti writes that BuzzFeed told the RNC Monday morning that it wouldn't accept Trump ads. Peretti says the GOP presidential frontrunner's campaign is "directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world." He says Trump's proposed ban of Muslims entering the U.S. would "make it impossible" for some employees to do their jobs.
"We certainly don't like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company. However, in some cases we must make business exceptions: 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," Peretti wrote.
COMPLETE CAMPAIGN 2016 COVERAGE
According to BuzzFeed, the RNC signed an agreement with the website in April.
In an e-mailed statement, GOP communications director Sean Spicer says "space was reserved on many platforms, but we never intended to use Buzzfeed."
Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined comment.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
