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"He crossed the line last week in pretty big fashion," said Matt Rivitz, freelance copywriter in San Francisco, who helps direct Sleeping Giants, one of the groups that used social media to encourage advertisers to give up Carlson. "We should all be able to have a quiet and sober discussion, or even a lively discussion, about immigration or any other policy issue without denigrating others."
More than a dozen companies, ranging from life insurer Pacific Life to the IHOP pancake chain – announced its intention to temporarily stop or suspend its advertising on the Carlson show during of the week since the publication of his comments.
"We can not and will not allow voices like Tucker Carlson to be censored by intimidation efforts dictated by an agenda," Fox News said in a statement.
But the social media campaign against Carlson highlights the growing risk businesses face when deciding what advertising to publish and how they should become politically active, said Leslie Gaines. -Ross, chief strategist for the reputation of Weber Shandwick, a global public relations firm.
These challenges will only intensify as the 2020 presidential campaign warms up, she said.
In the hyper-partisan political environment that followed the election of President Donald Trump, "companies are being forced to verify many of their decisions, statements, and declarations.", Said Gaines-Ross .
Major League Baseball, for example, recently announced that it would adopt new political contribution control procedures after paying US $ 5,000 to the Hyde-Smith campaign, but only claim a refund after the controversial statement by the Mississippi Senator.
Judd Legum, an independent journalist who runs his own Popular Information newsletter, helped shed light on Hyde-Smith's corporate donors as his campaign reported on the federal election. Commission (FEC), detailing last minute contributions for his clash against Democrat Mike Espy on 27 November.
This week, Legum's tweets contain lists of Carlson's latest advertisers.
Social media has transformed the way voters interact with American businesses, Legum said in an interview with CNN.
"Many people can find out about announcements and contributions very quickly, minutes after their release or just after the CEF donations, and can make their point of view immediately", he declared.
case of the campaign against Carlson, Media Matters for America, a liberal research organization, was one of the first to publish these comments after the publication of an extract of the segment by one of his researchers. A handful of activists – including Rivitz, whose Sleeping Giants Twitter account has nearly 216,000 subscribers – quickly amplified the message on social networks.
The president of Media Matters, Angelo Carusone, said that he had been working behind the scenes to encourage advertisers to walk. Staying away from some Fox News shows said that targeting businesses on Twitter was not always the best tactic to achieve lasting change.
But in the era of stalemate in Washington, "calling Congress no longer feels like an effective action" for the average citizen, said Carusone. "People can use social media to get a direct response from businesses."
The actions against Carlson also sparked a new debate on freedom of expression.
"Seriously, I do not trust IHOP to prepare my breakfast," added Shafer. "Why should I wait for it to check my cable news content for me?"
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