- Seven in 10 want brands to stop blocking news and invest in journalism
- 80% say online content should be subject to fact-checking processes
- Eight in 10 say tech firms should face fines if they fail to combat fake news
Brits want advertisers to back quality journalism instead of blocking it, according to a new study.
Eight in 10 of those surveyed by OnePoll were previously unaware that advertisers were using keyword blocking to prevent ads appearing against news stories
Having learned about ad blocking, seven in 10 agree advertisers should be investing more money in news brands and quality journalism instead of blocking it.
As a result of ad blocking practices, people say advertisers miss out on being featured next to the most read news of the day (33%), being a part of the day’s conversation (21%) and being part of news that readers will remember (21%).
Half of Brits said seeing an ad next to a hard-hitting news story would make no difference to them compared to seeing it next to any other news story — a finding also discovered by Stagwell in its ‘Future of News’ research.
The survey also asked what types of stories people think journalists should focus on, with global conflict (57%), politics (56%) and health (53%) coming out highest. Ironically, people also believe these same subjects are among the most likely to get blocked by advertisers.
Respondents were then shown a list of hard- and soft-news headlines. These contained terms that might appear on advertiser blocklists, including “explosion of dance” and “victim of the ‘Strictly curse’”.
Contrary to overcautious advertisers, half of Brits say none of the headlines listed should be blocked from carrying advertising. The same number said ad blocking affects news brands’ ability to report on important topics, while seven in 10 say advertisers should back quality news brands.
Jo Allan, Newsworks CEO, said: “While debates around ad blocking largely remain within the ad industry, it is clear from this survey that consumers are concerned about the impact of blocklisting on trusted journalism.
“Keyword blocklists are blunt tools that fail to take nuance into account, and we appeal to advertisers to reconsider their brand safety policies when it comes trusted quality environments like news brands.”
The survey also found significant public disapproval of plans by Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to scrap independent fact-checking teams in the US. 79% agreed all online content should be subject to fact-checking processes to avoid the spread of misinformation.
Overwhelmingly, 82% believe advertisers should take a stance against large tech firms that permit misinformation on their platforms, either by reducing their funding or by boycotting the platform entirely. In addition, 79% believe tech firms should face fines if found to be failing to combat fake news on their services.
Watch industry experts discuss this latest research along with further industry insights during an exclusive Newsworks webinar.
