Stop Funding Fake News
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Center for Countering Digital Hate. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2021. |
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| Nickname | SFFN |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 2019[1] |
| Website | www |
Stop Funding Fake News (SFFN) is an advocacy group which asks advertisers to stop placing ads on web sites it argues are spreading misinformation ("fake news").[2] The group is small and mostly anonymous.[citation needed] It is a project of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.[3]
History[]
The campaign began in March 2019,[1] and was backed by Rachel Riley and Tracy-Ann Oberman.[2][4][5] It was inspired by the U.S. success of Sleeping Giants, which had convinced several advertisers not to advertise on the Breitbart News website.[2]
In March 2019, charity Macmillan Cancer Support removed an advertisement from The Canary website after complaints from SFFN and others.[6] SFFN said The Canary promoted conspiracy theories, defended antisemitism, and published fake news.[7] Changes to Google and Facebook's algorithms and the campaign by SFFN led to The Canary downsizing its operations. The Canary said that it was "against the actions of a state, not against Jewish people as an ethnic group" and that it had been "smeared with accusations of anti-Semitism by those who’ve weaponised the term for political ends".[8][9][10] Labour Party MP Chris Williamson described the SFFN's campaign against The Canary as "sinister".[11]
In March 2019, The Jewish Chronicle wrote that Rachel Riley was abused by trolls on Twitter apparently due to her work with the SFFN campaign.[12]
In March 2019, SFFN said that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon's far right TR News, which SFFN had targeted, gave up on advertising to rely solely on donations.[7]
By September 2019, Ted Baker, Adobe Inc., Chelsea FC, eBay and Manchester United were among the 40 brands and charities that the group had persuaded to stop advertising on what the campaign called fake news sites.[5][8]
In October 2019, MP Mary Creagh credited SFFN with identifying advertisements for tours of the Houses of Parliament on Breitbart.[13][14]
The campaign has also targeted the right-wing and Westmonster, and left wing Dorset Eye and Evolve Politics.[13][2][15]
The SFFN website stated that from 4 May 2020 the campaign became a project of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.[16]
SFFN reported that Zero Hedge and The Federalist were among websites promoting racist fake news in the wake of the George Floyd protests; according to Gizmodo this led to Google removing Zero Hedge from its AdSense platform in June 2020.[3]
See also[]
- Stop Funding Hate, another British campaign with a similar methodology.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Cohen (2019).
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Frot (2019b).
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The Federalist Bends the Knee to Big Tech, Deletes Its Awful Comments Section". Gizmodo. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Frot (2020).
- ^ Jump up to: a b McCarthy, John (25 June 2019). "Stop Funding Fake News in talks with media agencies to demonetise misinformation sites". The Drum. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Frot (2019a).
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Our fight against fake news is starting to turn the tide". politics.co.uk. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Jewish News Reporter (2019).
- ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (5 August 2019). "The Canary blames attacks by 'political Zionists' for failing business model as cuts fall". Press Gazette. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Doherty (2019).
- ^ "Suspended MP Chris Williamson defends pro-Corbyn hyper-partisan The Canary, attacking 'sinister' bid to close it". www.thejc.com. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Rachel Riley in 'tears' over messages of support as trolls call for 'boycott'". www.thejc.com. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b ITV Report (2019).
- ^ Daly (2019).
- ^ "Google ads are supporting fake news - here's how we stop them". politics.co.uk. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Stop Funding Fake News". Stop Funding Fake News. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
From 4th May 2020, Stop Funding Fake News has been a project of the Center For Countering Digital Hate.
Sources[]
- Cohen, Nick (19 March 2019). "The campaign to boycott the extremists who peddle fake news | Coffee House". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- Daly, Patrick (3 October 2019). "Parliament 'funding hate' with adverts on right-wing news website, says MP". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- Doherty, Rosa (6 August 2019). "Co-Chair not the slightest bit embarrassed". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- Frot, Mathilde (27 March 2019a). "Anti fake news activists persuade cancer charity to remove advert on The Canary". Jewish News. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- Frot, Mathilde (3 April 2019b). "How a group of friends are fighting fake news – with a hand from Rachel Riley". Jewish News. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- Frot, Mathilde (2 March 2020). "Tom Stoppard play boycotts 'anti-Jewish propaganda' news site". Jewish News. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ITV Report (4 October 2019). "Parliament 'funding hate' with adverts on right-wing news website, says MP - ITV News". itv.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- Jewish News Reporter (2 August 2019). "'Fake news' site forced to downsize, blaming campaign by 'political Zionists'". Jewish News. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
External links[]
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