Twitter and Google blocked ads for the medical journal Health Affairs’ special issue on health and racism.
According to a report from The Verge, the issue, published at the beginning of February, had been years in the making. The journal wanted to reach new readers by advertising the issue through targeted promotions on Twitter and YouTube.
“That’s why it was so frustrating when before they could go up,” Patti Sweet, the director of digital strategy at Health Affairs, told the tech outlet. The journal’s Google ads account was also suspended. Sweet believes the use of the word “racism” was the catalyst for the rejections.
However, Google says that the reason the ads were blocked had nothing to do with racism.
“Google blocked the journal ad because the ad video was to discuss COVID-19,” Christa Muldoon, communications and public affairs manager, told The Verge.
In 2020, Google enacted a sweeping ban on ads related to COVID-19 under its “sensitive events policy,” to block ads attempting to capitalize on natural disasters. Shortly after, the company amended its broad ban “to ensure that we are protecting users while prioritizing critical information.”
Two years on, the pandemic is still highly politicized.
Sweets insists her publication was simply caught in the crosshairs.
“We’re not a political organization, but when a machine sees ‘health policy’, they might assume politics,” Sweet says. “And when they see us talking about racism and health, they might assume we are advocating on behalf of something for politicians. So, the brand is awkwardly in a nowhere land.”
Health Affairs received its caused-based certification for Twitter this week and intended to resubmit its ads. The Google ads account was also reinstated.
“We’re not able to share it with the world as much as we want to,” she says. “Instead, we’re talking about Google and Twitter.”
