Fake News: Awareness, Attitudes, and Actions of Advertisers

Public attention to online misinformation has been largely focused on the business practices of the social platforms—especially Facebook and Google. Yes, the two net giants are the 600-pound gorillas of fake news, but they serve as an accelerator to a wider ecosystem of sites designed to game advertising technology. AdTech, and the money it can bring to popular pages serving ads, sits at the center of the issue—making big brand marketers reluctant players in this controversial space. This SNCR 2020 article details the findings of a new study that shows that while marketers are now aware of their inadvertent participation in disseminating misinformation, they are ambivalent about what ought to change—and are reluctant to alter their own business practices.