Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

2 Canadian Universities Pull Ads From Alt-Right News Outlet Breitbart In United States

The Canadian Press, 27 Jan, 2017 12:49 PM
  • 2 Canadian Universities Pull Ads From Alt-Right News Outlet Breitbart In United States
VANCOUVER — Two Canadian universities are among the organizations that have removed advertisements from an ultra-conservative news website formerly headed by a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.
 
The move is part of a campaign spearheaded by Sleeping Giants, an American activist group, aimed at diverting advertising dollars from Breitbart News, a far-right media outlet that came under fire during the 2016 presidential race.
 
"Following the U.S. election, folks around the world are looking for ways to show our support and register our outrage at the rise of the extreme far right," said Emma Pullman of SumOfUs, which is collaborating with Sleeping Giants to target Canadian organizations. 
 
The University of British Columbia and the University of Montreal pulled ads in recent weeks after they became aware that their promotional material was appearing on the site.
 
"It wasn't the University of Montreal that chose to buy advertising on the site," spokeswoman Genevieve Omeara said in French.
 
"It's programmed publicity that is placed automatically on certain websites. We took precautions to ensure it would no longer happen."
 
Susan Danard of the University of British Columbia said the school's marketing policy normally excludes extreme political sites, but that its advertising agency had inadvertently included Breitbart to promote its new swimming pool.
 
"It just got accidentally on their list and when we got aware of that we asked them to pull it, which they did," Danard said.
 
 
"I think the cost was under a dollar. It would have been pennies because it was just a localized digital ad."
 
Steve Bannon, a former Breitbart News executive who is a senior adviser to Trump, has promoted the site as a champion for the so-called alt-right, a U.S.-based offshoot of conservatism that combines elements of racism, white nationalism and populism.
 
Breitbart couldn't be reached for comment.
 
It encouraged a boycott of Kellogg's products last month after the cereal maker said it would no longer advertise on the site, citing its "values" in explaining the decision. Breitbart said the decision by Kellogg's was tantamount to "economic censorship of mainstream conservative political discourse" and "as un-American as it gets."
 
SumOfUs describes itself on its website as "a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations." It says it consists of more than 12 million people "stopping big corporations from behaving badly."
 
Pullman, the organization's lead campaign strategist who is based in Vancouver, said the group's strategy is multi-faceted.
 
"It's symbolic, but it's also really real and tangible. Breitbart relies on advertising dollars to fund the website," she added.
 
"If you can interrupt its flow of advertising dollars you can actually interrupt its ability to globally expand, which the company has said it would like to do."
 
Sleeping Giant says so far 750 advertisers around the world, including some in Canada, have blocked Breitbart from their media plan.

MORE National ARTICLES

No Injuries After Pipe Bomb Found And Destroyed In East Vancouver

No Injuries After Pipe Bomb Found And Destroyed In East Vancouver
 Members of the Vancouver Police explosives unit have blown up a home-made pipe bomb found in a vehicle.

No Injuries After Pipe Bomb Found And Destroyed In East Vancouver

B.C.'s Health Minister Terry Lake Campaigns To Raise Legal Smoking Age To 21

Terry Lake says he's an ardent anti-smoker and believes the longer people are legally prevented from buying tobacco products, the better the odds are they won't pick up the habit.

B.C.'s Health Minister Terry Lake Campaigns To Raise Legal Smoking Age To 21

NDP Renews Call For B.C. Premier To Change Law On Political Donations

VICTORIA — British Columbia's NDP leader is asking the premier to support a bill he plans to introduce that would ban corporate and union donations to the province's political parties.

NDP Renews Call For B.C. Premier To Change Law On Political Donations

Avalanche Warning Issued For Parts Of Northern British Columbia And Alberta

  REVELSTOKE, B.C. — A special avalanche warning has been issued for parts of northern British Columbia and Alberta, starting Friday and lasting until the end of the day on Monday.

Avalanche Warning Issued For Parts Of Northern British Columbia And Alberta

Investment Scam Mastermind To Be Sentenced In 'Ponzi Scheme' Fraud

Investment Scam Mastermind To Be Sentenced In 'Ponzi Scheme' Fraud
HALIFAX — A Nova Scotia financial manager who was the mastermind behind an investment scam that bilked about 200 investors out of more than $1 million is to be sentenced later this year.

Investment Scam Mastermind To Be Sentenced In 'Ponzi Scheme' Fraud

Canadians Set To Watch Trump Inauguration, Some Plan To Boycott The Event

Canadians Set To Watch Trump Inauguration, Some Plan To Boycott The Event
Trump Uncertainty May Be 'golden Moment' For Canadian Firms To Invest: Expert

Canadians Set To Watch Trump Inauguration, Some Plan To Boycott The Event