Action: Email Xandr about Townhall.com

Climate Week action, day 4

Hey team,

Climate Week continues, and thanks for sticking with us! Every day through Friday, we're sending you the contact information for an ad network that's helping fund Townhall.com, a top climate change disinformation outlet. We need to email the ad companies and let them know what they're funding. Let's ask them to review these accounts according to their own supply policies. (Read more about the overall effort in this week's BRANDED.)

Today's action target: Xandr

Microsoft says they care so much about climate change that they’re going to be carbon negative by 2030. The technology company has invested in and purchased 10,000 tons of carbon removal from Climeworks, the world's first commercial-scale carbon removal operation.

Microsoft is also the owner of Xandr, a major ad exchange formerly known as Appnexus. Besides a ban against “hate speech,” it was hard to see what the current policy is for Xandr because it’s password-protected. Real transparent, guys. But according to an archived copy, “content that Xandr reasonably deems to be (a) morally reprehensible or patently offensive, and (b) without redeeming social value” isn't eligible for monetization.

Does Microsoft think climate denialism has a redeeming social value? Is that why Xandr is sending cash to Townhall? Let's (politely) remind them of their own words and commitments with the email template below.

We're trying something new this time: Click here to open an email with everything pre-filled, just add your name to the bottom. Let us know if it works for you — unfortunately, it won't work for everyone.

If that didn't work, or you'd like to do it manually, copy and paste the below to their respective fields in a new email:

TO:

[email protected], [email protected]

SUBJECT:

Do you know you're funding climate disinformation?

BODY:

Hello,

I'm reaching out to see if Xandr plans to continue placing ads on Townhall.com, despite the site running flagrantly afoul of your company's efforts and goals.

Your parent company Microsoft says they care so much about climate change that they’re going to be carbon negative by 2030. The company has invested in and purchased 10,000 tons of carbon removal from Climeworks, the world's first commercial-scale carbon removal operation.

And while it's hard to see what your current seller policies are (because you password protected them, probably to prevent emails exactly like this one), according to an archived copy, “content that Xandr reasonably deems to be (a) morally reprehensible or patently offensive, and (b) without redeeming social value” isn't eligible for monetization. Yet you're still sending money to Townhall, a publisher with 46 columnists who are listed in climate watchdog DeSmog’s disinformation database. I guess funding climate denialism in a time of crisis isn't morally reprehensible?

Maybe you didn't know that a Center for Countering Digital Hate report found Townhall is in the top tier among 10 fringe publishers responsible for nearly 70% of Facebook user interactions with denying climate change.

Perhaps that explains why cursory online research shows you are connecting Townhall.com to the advertising supply chain, enabling the spread of its climate disinformation. And Townhall Media isn't just one site, it’s part of a sprawling networking of hate speech (which Xandr's policies clearly oppose!) and disinformation websites, including:

• Bearing Arms
• Hot Air
• Instapundit
• PJ Media
• RedState
• Twitchy

If you plan to continue funding climate disinformation, you can ignore this email. But if you'd rather NOT fund it, consider dropping Townhall's seller ID, 6893.

Thank you,

[Your Name]

Please let us know if you hear back from them! They will be reading your emails and figuring out what the hell to do about all this.

Hugs,

Claire and Nandini