News Corp faces hate speech protests during advertiser conference in Australia
News Corp hosted a major advertiser conference in Australia yesterday (March 20) but it was disrupted by anti-hate speech protesters.
News Corp potested by anti-hate speech demonstrators
The event, called ‘Come Together’, aims to speak to advertisers across two events in Sydney and Melbourne, announcing new products and services.
A small protest targeted the advertisers and called for a boycott of ad spend on News Corp because some have deemed some content to have incited hate.
The protest came specifically as a reaction to the Christchurch Mosque terror atrocity last week, in which 49 people were killed. The protest is calling on media organizations to take more responsibility for how they cover terrorism and race in its coverage.
Advertisers in Australia and New Zealand have already pulled spend from news titles, as well as Facebook and YouTube, which carried footage of the atrocity.
The matter has also already reached the UK too, with advertisers and the public calling on greater responsibility from media and tech businesses.
Getting underway now. Absolutely blown away by this turnout. pic.twitter.com/JMrYoi1n0S
— Alex McKinnon (@mckinnon_a) March 20, 2019
Photos from the protest by journalist Alex McKinnon show a small group of people holding signs that read, “boycott News Corp advertisers”.
The Drum has reached out to News Corp for comment.