The Daily Wire is urging the ad community to stop using the ad-buying guidelines created by the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). The organization, whose framework is used to decide how safe or appropriate content is for marketers, has come under fire from conservatives who say it is being used to steer ad dollars away from right-leaning outlets. This month, the House Judiciary Committee released a report that describes what it sees as an “apparent collusion” between GARM and some of the world’s largest advertisers.
“We at The Daily Wire do not oppose rating agencies providing tools and information to advertisers so that they can make informed, targeted advertising placement decisions,” says The Daily Wire in a letter to ad industry professionals. “We are, however, gravely concerned with how GARM and its leaders have privately wielded their considerable concentration of market power – 90% of all ad spend worth $1 trillion – to target and attempt to bankrupt conservative media like The Daily Wire.”
The company is also calling for further investigations by Congress to “fully understand the depth and breadth of this apparent censorship cartel.” And it is pushing for an immediate end to any government coordination with what it calls a “sophisticated and coercive” campaigns against free speech. “We are asking that you earnestly evaluate your commitment to principles of free speech and that you reject GARM,” the letter urges advertisers.
GARM’s Brand Safety Floor and Suitability Framework includes standards targeting objectively criminal, abusive, and dangerous content. But according to The Daily Wire, GARM also includes subjective standards that, in practice, are used to target conservative media for merely discussing debated and sensitive topics. “The application of the subjective elements of GARM’s Brand Safety Floor also frequently leads to conservative media content being erroneously maligned as misinformation, harassment, or even hate speech.” it says.
‘Why Wouldn’t We Block Fox News?’
The House Judiciary Committee’s report uncovered some emails that seem to provide evidence to the fears of conservative media that the are being redlined. In some of the emails, GARM leadership and its Steer Team members discuss how to target conservative media like The Daily Wire, Breitbart, and Fox News. In one email, a GroupM executive says they “have Daily Wire on our Global High Risk exclusion list, categorized as conspiracy theories.” Another email from a GroupM executive said, “I don’t know Daily Wire that well, but I would imagine that most of our clients wouldn’t want to be on either side of politically divisive content, so they probably block them anyway – but we should watch them carefully to make sure they don’t stoop below the GARM floor. If we block DW – why wouldn’t we block Fox News?”
According to the report, of GARM leader and co-founder Rob Rakowitz also regularly directs GARM members to use exclusion and inclusion lists from “trusted partners” like NewsGuard and GDI in order to “continue to give a leg up to professional news outlets.”
“Because today’s Congressional report has highlighted the intentions and apparently collusive behavior of GARM and its members, we are asking that you earnestly evaluate your commitment to principles of free speech and that you reject GARM, Mr. Rakowitz, and any similar actors’ efforts to subvert conservative media,” The Daily Wire letter says, adding, “We ask that you take a stand on the side of freedom with The Daily Wire and other conservative media on this issue.”
Ad Execs Defend GARM Use
The ad community’s receptiveness to the letter remains to be seen. When some ad executive appeared at a House hearing this month, they defended the use of GARM standards when buying media. “We have a right to choose where we want to advertise our brands,” said Unilever USA President Herris Patel told lawmakers.
Christian Juhl, Global CEO at the media buying agency GroupM, agreed, explaining that the GARM standards help brands navigate those risks. “Brands consistently inform us that they do not want to advertise next to hot button or divisive content. They want reliable environments,” Juhl said.
The Daily Wire has led the charge among conservative media outlets going after the use of advertising dollars to hurt their ranks. Last December, it joined with The Federalist, and the state of Texas to sue the U.S. State Department for allegedly funding technology used to help advertisers avoid certain media outlets believed to be spreading misinformation. But the suit alleges it is instead being used to prevent ad dollars from going to conservative media. It says the Global Disinformation Index, which was funding in part by State Department grants, has The Daily Wire on its list of the top 10 “riskiest” media outlets.
Comments