BuzzFeed Restores Vanished Posts, Says It Didn’t Delete Them Over Advertiser Pressure
BuzzFeed restored two deleted posts on Friday after Gawker raised questions about whether the viral news and entertainment site removed them because they were critical of advertisers.
Ben Smith, BuzzFeed’s editor in chief, said in a note to staff that the posts hadn’t been unpublished to protect ad dollars:
You also have a right to ask about whether we did this because of advertiser pressure, as Gawker suggested. The answer is no. I field complaints all the time from companies and individuals, including advertisers, and see it as my job to shield you from that pressure.
