Professor Arday’s death should make brands consider the media ecosystem they fund

Advertisers can control where adspend is directed and the behaviours expected from partners.

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Conscious Advertising Network (CAN) are deeply saddened by the death of Professor Jason Arday and send our solidarity to his family, friends, colleagues and everyone mourning his loss.

Jason’s death has also prompted an important and uncomfortable conversation about racism, media scrutiny, online harassment and the responsibilities of the institutions and industries that shape public discourse. 

We should be careful about drawing conclusions about the circumstances of his death while investigations continue. But his family has said that misinformation and harassment played a role in the circumstances surrounding his death, and the intensity of the public scrutiny he experienced has rightly prompted questions about how Black people are treated when they enter spaces where they have historically been underrepresented. 

Whatever view we take on the allegations that surrounded Jason’s career, racism and racialised harassment are never acceptable. Legitimate scrutiny and accountability are essential to a healthy society. But there is a profound difference between asking difficult questions and turning a person into a target for public ridicule, racial stereotyping or abuse.

Recent coverage has demonstrated how quickly an individual story can become a much wider argument about race, diversity and who is entitled to occupy positions of influence. That should concern all of us.

Advertising is part of this ecosystem

At CAN, we believe advertising should inspire, innovate and drive real results, but not at the expense of our rights and freedoms.

That means recognising........

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