These companies dropped the GOP’s insurrection caucus -- but are still running ads on Fox

Written by Matt Gertz

Published

Updated

fox ads

Molly Butler / Media Matters

At least 11 major corporations that said they would stop funding Republican members of Congress who sought to overturn the 2020 election results continue to run advertisements on Fox News, the pro-Trump propaganda outlet that fanned the same Big Lie that President Joe Biden stole the office through widespread voter fraud. Eleven more companies that responded to the Capitol riots by pausing all political action committee donations are still airing ads on the network.

Here’s the list of these companies, which include leading Fox advertisers like Amazon, Pfizer, AllState, Abbott Laboratories, and Liberty Mutual.

The January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters claiming that the election had been stolen spurred a reckoning for some major corporations. Dozens of companies announced that they would terminate or suspend donations to the Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying the electoral votes of one or more states, according to lists compiled by Popular Information’s Judd Legum and Tesnim Zekeria and by CNN. Dozens more said they would pause all PAC contributions while they reviewed their policies. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association President and CEO Kim Keck, for example, said in a statement to Legum that in light of the insurrection, “BCBSA will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy.” She added that while “a contrast of ideas, ideological differences and partisanship are all part of our politics, weakening our political system and eroding public confidence in it must never be.”

But BCBSA and several other companies that took steps to curtail political giving following the insurrection are still advertising on Fox, in spite of the critical role it played in “weakening our political system and eroding public confidence in it” leading up to the January 6 Capitol riots. 

Fox cast doubt on the election results nearly 800 times in the two weeks after it called the race for Biden. The network’s most prominent right-wing ideologues cheered on then-President Donald Trump’s effort to subvert the election and championed unhinged conspiracy theories about election fraud on his behalf. And the Fox “news” hours that network executives tout to potential advertisers pushed many of the same lies hundreds of times. 

This drumbeat had a huge impact, damaging trust in the U.S. election system. Only 36% of Republicans say the 2020 election was “free and fair," according to a recent poll -- and 45% of the Republicans who falsely believe there was widespread election fraud cite Fox’s reporting for leading them to that conclusion.

The network will continue to behave irresponsibly. Fox executives are desperately trying to shore up flagging ratings that began after Trump lashed out at the network because its decision desk called first Arizona and then the election for Biden. They are incorporating right-wing “opinion” personalities in the network’s “news” programming, laying off “news”-side staff -- including those responsible for the network’s decision desk -- and even turning the 7 p.m. “news” hour into another “opinion” bloc. Maria Bartiromo, who used her “news” show to promote some of the most absurd election conspiracy theories, including that Dominion Voting Systems software had switched votes from Trump to Biden, is one of the candidates for the slot. 

Meanwhile, the network’s primetime propagandists are using increasingly apocalyptic rhetoric since Trump left office. On Monday, Laura Ingraham defended adherents of the QAnon ideology while Tucker Carlson warned that Biden’s administration will augur in “tyranny” and a “dictatorship.”

Fox's efforts to foment an insurrection came after the network spent 2020 spreading dangerous medical misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic because its personalities thought it was politically beneficial to former President Trump. The network promoted coronavirus misinformation an estimated 13,551 times on its weekday programs last year. 

Journalists and pundits across the political spectrum have pointed to Fox’s toxic role in the January 6 insurrection and urged companies to respond.

“The only answer is to speak the language that the bigwigs at Fox will understand: Ratings. Advertising dollars. Profit.” wrote Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan. “Corporations that advertise on Fox News should walk away, and citizens who care about the truth should demand that they do so.”

It’s long been clear that funding Fox tarnishes a company’s brand. Now we know that it also helps damage our democratic system. 

Companies that dropped the GOP’s insurrection caucus

Amazon told Popular Information that it “has suspended contributions to any member of Congress who voted to override the results of the U.S. presidential election.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on The Next Revolution, Outnumbered, America Reports, Fox News @ Night, Your World, and Fox & Friends Weekend.

AT&T told Popular Information that it will “suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of Electoral College votes.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Watters’ World, Special Report, Fox News @ Night, Fox & Friends, America’s Newsroom, Outnumbered, The Five, The Fox Report, and Life, Liberty & Levin.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association “will suspend contributions to those lawmakers who voted to undermine our democracy,” the company’s president and CEO told Popular Information. The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Your World, Fox News @ Night, America’s News HQ, and The Fox Report.

Comcast/NBCUniversal told Popular Information it was suspending “all…political contributions to those elected officials who voted against certification of the Electoral College votes.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Sunday Morning Futures, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox & Friends, America’s Newsroom, The Faulkner Focus, America Reports, Outnumbered, The Five, and Fox & Friends Weekend.

Dell told Popular Information it “will suspend all contributions to members of Congress whose statements and activities during the post-election period are not in line with Dell’s principles.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on America’s Newsroom, America Reports, Special Report, Fox News @ Night, The Faulkner Focus, Your World, America’s News HQ, The Journal Editorial Report, and The Fox Report.

Eli Lilly told Popular Information it will “suspend political giving to those who voted against certification of the 2020 election results.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox News @ Night, Fox & Friends, Your World, and The Fox Report. 

Pfizer is pausing donations “to any of the 147 Members of Congress who voted against certifying the Electoral College results" for at least six months, Popular Information reported. The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Your World, The Five, and The Faulkner Focus.

Sanofi is “cutting off donations to members of the Senate and House of Representatives who objected to certifying any state electoral results," according to Chemical & Engineering News. The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, Fox News Primetime, The Ingraham Angle, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox & Friends First, The Greg Gutfeld Show, and Watters’ World.

Walgreens “has decided to suspend contributions to the members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the U.S. Electoral College votes," Quartz reported. The company continues to advertise on Fox, running commercials last week on The Story, Fox & Friends, The Faulkner Focus, America’s Newsroom, The Five, and Fox & Friends Weekend.

Allstate (added 1/27/21) told CNN it had “suspended contributions to lawmakers who objected to the counting of Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election because these actions did not align with the [Allstate political action] committee’s commitment to bipartisanship, collaboration and compromise.” The company last ran an ad on Fox on January 15.

Kraft Heinz (added 1/27/21) told CNN it had “suspended future PAC contributions to members of Congress that opposed the certification of the Presidential election,” highlighting the company’s support for “the democratic process and the rule of law.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Watters’ World, Fox & Friends Weekend, Sunday Morning Futures, MediaBuzz, America’s News HQ, Fox News Sunday, The Greg Gutfeld Show, Life, Liberty, and Levin, Outnumbered, America Reports, The Story, Your World, Fox News @ Night, The Five, Cavuto Live, and The Journal Editorial Report.

Companies that froze all PAC donations

Charles Schwab announced it was discontinuing its PAC in favor of an “apolitical position.” The company still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, The Next Revolution, Fox & Friends, Outnumbered, Fox News @ Night, America’s Newsroom, The Greg Gutfeld Show, and Life, Liberty & Levin.

General Motors suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on The Greg Gutfeld Show, The Next Revolution, Fox & Friends Weekend, Fox News @ Night, Fox & Friends, America’s Newsroom, America Reports, The Faulkner Focus, Outnumbered, Special Report, The Five, and America’s News HQ.

J.P. Morgan suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, America’s News HQ, Fox News @ Night, and Special Report.

Kroger suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox News Sunday and Fox & Friends First.

Liberty Mutual Insurance suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on virtually every program except for the network’s prime-time shows. 

Novo Nordisk suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, America’s News HQ, Fox & Friends First, Fox & Friends, The Faulkner Focus, Outnumbered, America Reports, The Story, Your World, Fox News Primetime, America’s Newsroom, The Five, and Tucker Carlson Tonight. 

Abbott Laboratories (added 1/27/21) suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on America’s News HQ, Fox News Weekend, Sunday Morning Futures, The Greg Gutfeld Show, America’s Newsroom, The Faulkner Focus, Outnumbered, America Reports, The Five, Fox & Friends, and The Journal Editorial Report.

AbbVie (added 1/27/21) suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, Fox & Friends, Outnumbered, The Story, The Five, Special Report, Fox News @ Night, America Reports, Outnumbered, and Fox News Primetime. 

Expedia (added 1/27/21) suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends Weekend, Sunday Morning Futures, Fox & Friends First, Fox & Friends, and Your World.

Ford Motor Company (added 1/27/21) suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on Fox & Friends, The Five, Fox News Primetime, Hannity, Fox News @ Night, Your World, and Special Report.

Intuit (added 1/27/21) suspended all PAC donations but still advertises on Fox, running commercials last week on The Next Revolution, Fox & Friends Weekend, MediaBuzz, The Greg Gutfeld Show, The Fox Report, Fox & Friends First, America Reports, Your World, Special Report, Fox News @ Night, America’s Newsroom, Outnumbered, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Hannity, Justice w/ Judge Jeanine, America’s News HQ, The Journal Editorial Report, and Watters’ World.