Legal Commentary

Bloggers, Ads and Ideology

By Jeralyn

Today, for the first time since 2002, I rejected an ad for TalkLeft because of the message. Most people realize that ads on the site don't represent the point of view of the blogger. I've accepted ads before I don't agree with, and when I've thought about what kind of ad I would reject in the past, the only thing that came to mind was an ad supporting the death penalty.

So what pushed me over the top this time? It was an ad for gun control, that began in big letters, "Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Criminals" and urged people to support new laws on sales at gun shows.

Given the focus of this blog, to protect the rights of those accused of crime and particularly, constitutional rights, I would have recoiled every time I logged on to my own blog. So, even though it would have paid for TalkLeft's hosting service for a full month (no small amount since we're on our own server), I rejected it. [More...]

Ads are what keep me from asking for donations more than once or twice a year. Particularly since ad sales have been way down this year, losing even one ad hurts.

Even if TalkLeft's ideology doesn't match yours (for example, you might support the message of the ad I rejected) but you appreciate that we stick to our principles here, even when it costs us -- I hope you'll consider making a donation to recoup some of the lost revenue.

Here is the the paypal link, it's very easy (and takes credit cards even if you don't have a paypal account.)

If you don't like paypal, feel free to pull a few dollars out of your pocket and send it snail mail.

This doesn't mean you won't ever see ads on TalkLeft I disagree with...but when they really conflict with our message, I don't see any other choice. What do you think? Right decision?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 20, 2010 (boomark / email).