Advertisers spend $2.6bn on misinformation websites, study finds
Arvind Hickman August 23, 2021 For every $2.16 spent on news websites in the US, $1 is spent on misinformation. Advertisers are unwittingly funding misinformation websites Websites that have been set up to peddle misinformation are reaping billions in annual advertising revenue from top brands, new research has found. Analysis by NewsGuard and Comscore – vendors that help brands place ads in safe online environments – found the misinformation industry generates about $2.6bn (£1.9bn) in estimated advertising revenue that is automatically served to websites by programmatic advertising platforms. The majority stems from the US, where unwitting advertisers are placing $1.6bn in advertising on fake news sites