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In 1999, more than a dozen news publishers including The New York Times publicly pledged to ban cigarette advertisements. The move was part of a broader effort to curb the influence of an industry whose products were then—and remain now—the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the CDC.
But since 2020, a handful of prominent publishers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Semafor, Politico and The Boston Globe have run ads funded by tobacco companies, according to interviews, data provided by Nielsen Ad Intel and documentation from the Truth Initiative.
The ads range from newsletter and podcast sponsorships to display media. Some appear as corporate advocacy campaigns, where executives from tobacco companies submit articles that news outlets publish as branded advertorials. And while none promote specific products, the ads help rehabilitate the image of the companies that make cigarettes, according to Truth Initiative chief research officer Barbara Schillo.
“With these paid advertorials, the tobacco industry is emerging from the shadows to mount a campaign to improve its image,” Schillo said. “These ads give legitimacy to these companies, and anything that gives them legitimacy is not in the interest of public health.”
While there is no regulation against publishers working with tobacco firms, the issue spurs debate over how news publishers should fund their operations, and to what level of scrutiny that funding should be subjected—especially in the midst of an economic downturn.
“While at an industry level, it isn’t practical to refuse to run ads for anything that might have a degree of harm, publishers should be urgently reviewing their moral compass when it comes to sensitive categories,” said Jamie MacEwan, senior media analyst at Enders Analysis.
Representatives for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Politico said that the ads do not violate their policy on promoting tobacco products. The Washington Post and Semafor either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.
Tobacco advertising today
Tobacco companies have sporadically advertised with some publishers, such as Vice Media, over the last decade. However, the industry mounted a concerted push in partnership with premium news outlets in 2020, according to Schillo.
From January 2020 to August 2021, the tobacco companies Philip Morris International, home to cigarette brands like Marlboro and Parliament, and Altria spent $11.72 million on media, primarily on news publishers and digital video, according to Nielsen Ad Intel, a database that tracks corporate ad spend.