Advertising Payments to News Websites That Publish Health Misinformation

Key Points

• This research aims to estimate the extent of advertising payments made by government and health organizations to news websites that spread health misinformation.
• Conducted a cross-sectional analysis of advertising spending data.
• Identified news websites known for publishing health misinformation.
• Analyzed financial transactions from government and health organizations.
• Estimated substantial advertising expenditures directed towards misleading health news sites.
• Identified specific government and health organizations as primary advertisers.
• Revealed a correlation between ad spending and the prevalence of health misinformation on selected websites.