Gruesome ads embedded in articles about family violence ‘make light’ of violence and could distress victim-survivors, expert warns.
WARNING: this story contains an image some readers may find distressing.
News stories about domestic violence inadvertently ran alongside advertisements for faux-bloodstained shirts reading “problem solved”, prompting advocates for victim-survivors to urge publishers to avoid making light of recent deaths.
Australia is reckoning with a surge in family and domestic violence incidents after three women were allegedly murdered in unrelated incidents on Saturday, and police allege a mother stabbed her three children on Sunday.
The shirts are sold under titles containing the words “bloody” and “halloween” by online clothing retailer Menweary. Similar products are listed as Halloween outfits on Amazon, Etsy and other larger retailers.
Denise Buiten, an expert in media and gendered violence, said the ad placement created an inappropriate contrast with the subjects of the articles.
Kinnersly said media outlets and advertisers needed to review the incident and carry out stronger measures to protect consumers from potentially harmful advertising mismatches.
A spokesperson said the ad breached Guardian advertising guidelines and was taken down after the organisation was made aware of the ad.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s parent company, Nine, attributed its publication of the ad to the Google-run distributor, AdSense.
News.com.au’s editor, Kerry Warren, said parent company News Corp was working with the third-party provider to ensure the “error” did not happen again.
Christopher Brown, from the University of New South Wales’s Australian Graduate School of Management, said ads carry content tags but clothing-tagged ads would not have been caught by screening measures.