Facebook reportedly bans charity ad for not being ‘neutral or positive’

UPDATE: Facebook has responded over the denial of clearance for the ad campaign, calling it a “mistake”. “Facebook is a place for people and organisations to campaign for the things that matter to them, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s video ad is a great example of that. In this instance we made a mistake, and have contacted the charity to let them know and to apologise for any inconvenience caused,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Stream in an email. ​

Facebook barred a UK sight loss advertisement campaign reportedly for being too negative. The video by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) promotes the need for more sight loss advisers in UK hospitals.

 
Although RNIB was able to post the video on their personal Facebook page, the site’s advertisement team reportedly denied clearance for an ad campaign based on its guidelines. “Ads should not single out individuals or degrade people” the email to RNIB from Facebook Ads reportedly read. “We don’t accept language like ‘fear of losing your sight, losing your job?’. Instead, text must present realistic and accurate information in a neutral or positive way and should not have any direct attribution to people.”

The Stream reached out to Facebook for comment and has not received a response.