Keyword blocking is a pain for publishers at the best of times, but at times of crisis the effects are multiplied for news publishers. And these are times of crisis! Over the past six months, nervous advertisers have scrambled to update their lists, first as COVID-19 struck, then as Black Lives Matter protests escalated in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in the US.
However, extraordinary times also mean that anxious citizens turn to reputable news sources for up-to-date information. A simplistic keyword-blocking approach to brand safety is short-sighted, not only depriving advertisers of eyeballs, but also denying...