New York City internet-based social news and entertainment company, BuzzFeed, has terminated a deal with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to run political advertisements in the fall, BuzzFeed co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti told his employees Monday morning.
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| Photo from Josh Edelson via BuzzFeed |
According to Peretti, "Donald Trump is “directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world.” Peretti cited Trump's rhetoric and campaign promises" as the reason for the decision to terminate the deal.
“Earlier today, BuzzFeed informed the RNC that we would not accept Trump for President ads and that we would be terminating our agreement with them,” Peretti said. “The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.”
Peretti explained, "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."
The response of RNC senior strategist Sean Spicer was that they never intend to use BuzzFeed anyway. Spicer said: "Space was reserved on many platforms, but we never intended to use BuzzFeed." In addition, Spicer noted: "It is ironic that they have not ruled out taking money from a candidate currently under investigation by the FBI.”
The deal, worth $1.3 million according to Politico, was signed back in April by both parties.
Below is Peretti's full email.
Source: BuzzFeed CNN Money
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