A campaign group which aims to cut funding for the right-wing newspapers the Daily Mail and The Sun by calling on companies to stop advertising or running promotions with them has doubled its fundraising target within a month.
Stop Funding Hate raised £80,251 in 28 days, smashing a £40,000 target. It started the crowdfunding campaign in December to combat what it claims is a “drip by drip poisoning of our society” by the tabloid press.
It uses social media to target companies that choose to run adverts or promotions in the right-wing press in a bid to cut off funding.
The group was also apparently behind Lego’s decision to stop carrying out promotional activity with the Daily Mail in 2016.
The Daily Mail and The Sun have been accused of being two of Britain’s most Islamophobic publications.
The rationale for Stop Funding Hate’s latest appeal is a Yougov poll the group commissioned into public attitude towards newspapers.
Of the 3,364 people polled – consisting of roughly equal numbers Labour and Conservative supporters – only 10 per cent of respondents believed The Daily Mail had a positive impact on society, down to 8 per cent for The Daily Express. The left-leaning Daily Mirror scored 7 per cent, however it is not targeted by Stop Funding Hate’s campaign.
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A spokesperson for the Daily Mail said: “As we have said before, Stop Funding Hate is a small group of hard left Pro-Remain Corbynistas who use internet trolling in an attempt to suppress democratic debate by shutting down newspapers they disagree with.”
A Sun spokesperson said: “There is a reason The Sun continues to be the best-selling newspaper in Britain. Almost 1.5m people a day buy The Sun because they trust it above all to fight their corner, inform and entertain.”
