Prominent advertising executive Lou Paskalis took to LinkedIn to express his concerns regarding Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News, warning advertisers of the ethical risks associated with advertising on FNC.
Paskalis believes that FNC repeatedly disseminated false information that misrepresented the results of the 2020 Presidential election. The discovery process revealed internal documents, texts, and testimony from FOX Corporation’s ownership, senior management, and on-air personalities, demonstrating that they were fully aware that the information presented as news was disinformation that was egregiously untrue.
Paskalis emphasized that FNC’s leadership chose not to intervene despite including outlandish QAnon-level conspiracy theories and the audience generating revenue. He noted that FNC is the largest revenue source for FOX Corporation, and almost all its revenue comes from advertising investments from the nation’s largest and most respected advertisers. Hence, advertisers not only condone but also fund the actions of FNC, its leadership, and on-air talent.
“I would argue that knowingly undermining our democratic process and allowing the integrity of our voting process to be impugned, in fact in some cases impugning it themselves, is at least as bad as some of these other heinous and tone-deaf behaviors and at a scale that impacts all 336 million Americans,” he said.
According to Paskalis, this issue goes beyond adjacency and concerns fundamental values. He argues that if FNC condones gun violence or fails to demonstrate a commitment to diversity, advertisers would swiftly withdraw their ads and invest elsewhere.
Paskalis calls on advertisers to acknowledge that their continued investments in advertising on FNC contribute to undermining our democracy, which enabled their companies to thrive.
“Advertisers, you’re funding this. Your continued investments in advertising in FOX “News” are contributing to undermining our democracy. A democracy which has allowed your company to thrive,” said Paskalis. “I question the governance process of any Advertiser continuing to advertise on FOX “News.” Can it be that advertising efficiency trumps your corporate values, the principles you operate your business on, and your highly touted ESG platform?”
“Stop underwriting the undermining of our country,” he added.
