The UK’s newspaper publishers have today joined forces to call on advertisers to support quality journalism during the Covid-19 crisis.
While all news brands have seen a surge in demand from readers for quality, accurate reporting, advertising industry ‘blocklists’ are preventing adverts from appearing alongside online stories about coronavirus.
If the pandemic lasts for another three months the total loss to news brands is expected to be £50 million.
The letter, published today, was written on behalf of the industry by Tracy De Groose, executive chair of Newsworks.
It asks advertisers to remove blocklists from trusted UK news brands to ensure they can continue to fund quality British journalism at a time of national crisis.
Here is the letter in full:
Dear Advertiser,
These are challenging times for all of our businesses no matter the size, sector or region we operate in. However, working together we can help reduce the devastating impact of this virus.
We are open and ready to support you, so please let us know how we can best do that for your people, your customers and your business.
Across our own industry, our journalists are working harder than ever to ask the right questions and to deliver accurate information in the most helpful and accessible ways possible for their readers. Yet, as the crisis unfolds, the strain on journalist resources and their ability to keep reporting is only going to get tougher.
And, while we have seen a huge surge in demand from readers for trusted, accurate reporting, advertising ‘blocklists’ are preventing adverts from appearing alongside online stories with the word ‘coronavirus’ in them.
If the pandemic lasts for another three months the total loss across our news brands is expected to be £50 million, threatening our ability to fund the quality journalism that is vital to ensure that the UK public is accurately informed during the crisis.
We understand many marketing budgets are under real pressure now. All we ask is that when you launch your next campaign you check you’re not unknowingly blocking trusted news brands from your plans. Readers are relying on us right now, and we are relying on advertising to help ensure the public receive information and advice from the very best sources.
Our unified industry appeal to you, our valued advertisers, is incredibly simple: back, and don’t block British journalism. Please remove ‘coronavirus’ from your blocklists.
Kind regards,
Tracy De Groose
Executive Chair, Newsworks
