UK-based CAN is a “coalition” of over 180 advertisers, businesses, tech suppliers and civil society teams that units out to “break the financial hyperlink between promoting and the dangerous content material that divides communities, excludes various voices, exploits kids, and undermines scientific consensus.” Grouped underneath #TogetherWeCAN.
Members embrace some massive UK adland entities together with Omnicom Media Group, VCCP, advertisers physique ISBA and media company the7stars. It advises the UK’s civil service on some points.
Is that this a little bit of innocent wokery or one thing reasonably extra disturbing? There have already been complaints from wounded, principally proper wing media homeowners that CAN and its supporters out and in of the group are adversely affecting their enterprise.
But when an advertisers or media company doesn’t just like the minimize of a selected media proprietor’s jib why ought to they promote on it? It’s purported to be a free world in spite of everything.
The difficulty although is judgement and CAN’s antics are reasonably much like these of the large banks which were cheerfully “exiting” purchasers they don’t like, like Nigel Farage at Coutts. This value the top of NatWest her job.
It’s all right here in CAN’s mission assertion: “dangerous content material that divides communities, excludes various voices, exploits kids, and undermines scientific consensus.”
How outfitted is CAN or any of its adland members to make definitive judgements about these? Is anybody at ISBA or Omnicom an skilled in not-to-be-undermined scientific consensus? One factor the covid outbreak ought to have taught us is that there isn’t one though CAN appears to assume there may be.
Deep and reasonably harmful waters.
