WASHINGTON – In response to successful engagement by shareholders and Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys through the ballot resolution process, IBM has adopted a new stance of viewpoint neutrality in its advertising policies. The move is intended to distance itself from the censorship activities of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media and guard against future instances of viewpoint-discriminatory advertising decisions by the $228 billion company.
The win is one of 20 policy and behavior changes at major corporations from ADF’s coalition of like-minded shareholder advocates so far this year. Earlier this year, PepsiCo, Mastercard, and Johnson & Johnson made similar changes to their advertising policies after cutting ties with the now-defunct GARM. Comcast also made major changes to its ad-selling policies that will protect religious and political views in advertisements at NBC Universal and Peacock, which are worth over $100 billion dollars together. JPMorgan Chase recently enacted a major policy change to prevent future discriminatory debanking, while the coalition has made substantive progress at other companies including Walmart, Verizon, and Morgan Stanley.
“No corporation should be involved in or allow for censorship at any level,” said ADF Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President for Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco. “IBM is doing the right thing by engaging its shareholders and taking steps to prevent future viewpoint-based discrimination. Like many companies, IBM’s previous advertising policies left the company and its shareholders vulnerable to such accusations. We hope every company follows IBM’s example and recommits to doing its part to protect freedom of speech and thought in our nation and throughout the world.”
Working with Bowyer Research, The Heritage Foundation filed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shareholder resolution at IBM. Discriminatory DEI policies have been a primary point of discussion in business, politics, and culture over the past year or more and a particular point of contention for IBM, whose leaked remarks about race and sex quotas for their workforce have generated intense public controversy and a high-profile lawsuit from the state of Missouri.
The proposal was slated to appear on the proxy ballot at IBM’s annual meeting on Tuesday after IBM lost its appeal, opposed by ADF attorneys representing Heritage, to exclude the proposal from the ballot at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; however, IBM agreed to change its advertising policy in exchange for Heritage’s agreement to withdraw the proposal from the ballot. The company’s new policy states that “IBM’s media-buying and content policies are … viewpoint neutral with respect to political or religious status or views.”
IBM and many other household brands had joined GARM, which promised to promote “digital safety” and protect brand value. But in practice, GARM worked to censor mainstream conservative and religious speakers, including Joe Rogan, the Daily Wire, and Elon Musk, under the guise of “misinformation” and “hate speech.”
Overall, ADF’s coalition has filed 71 shareholder proposals at major corporations, resulting in more than 70 meetings with company representatives.
“We applaud IBM’s willingness to engage with its shareholders and make meaningful changes as a result,” said Heritage Foundation Treasurer and Vice President of Finance and Accounting John Backiel. “Heritage has a vested interest in the long-term fiduciary health of IBM. Publicly traded companies like IBM belong to us, their shareholders. Protecting religious and political views is a positive step for free speech, religious freedom, and ultimately for all IBM shareholders.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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