About Us

We are a global collective of individuals that care about high quality journalism. Especially during times of crisis.

We aim to help news publishers by providing open-source resources to advertisers that allow them to confidently maintain - or even increase - their advertising investments when independent reporting is needed most.

16
Free creative templates

Two sets of 8 high quality animated HTML5 display banner templates in English and Ukrainian.

27
Qualified English language domains

Inclusion List of high quality journalism domains that are qualified as trusted by The Global Disinformation Index.

(3BN+ monthly visits)

18
Quality Ukrainian domains

Inclusion List of domains with independent and trustworthy journalism from Ukraine.

(550M+ monthly visits)

As Featured On

Why We Created - Codely X Webflow Template

Our story

Whenever there is a crisis, the same thing happens: brands reduce or completely pull their advertising investments from news content.

Brands do not want their regular campaigns to appear next to content related to crisis situations, especially when it involves violence, disease or death. They fear for inconsiderate ad placements and negative content association.

This has a perverse effect, however, as we need high quality independent journalism the most during crisis situations. News publishers are punished with reduced advertising revenues right when they are running overtime in order to deliver the truth.

We believe brands should support quality news publishers especially during times of crisis. Our mission is to enable brands to advertise confidently next to crisis-related content in a considerate manner, allowing them to fund and support independent quality journalism.

'Democracy dies in darkness.' - The Washington Post

Meet our team members

These are the people that make Brands4News.org possible.

Kevin Flood
Contributor
Hanna Stovbun
Contributor
Chris Kane
Contributor
Ben Epstein
Contributor
Niels Oedzes
Brand & Design Lead
Ibrahim Merican
Contributor
Louis Connor
Contributor
Nina Borys
Contributor
Dave Mallon
Contributor
Dmitry Gnatiuk
Creative Production Lead
Danny Rogers
Contributor

Frequently Asked Questions

Please find an overview of the most frequently asked questions below. We continuously update this directory to provide easy access to information.

Is Brands4News.org a company or foundation?

Neither. Brands4News.org is run by an independent collective of advertising industry professionals that maintain open-source (free-to-use) resources. All operating costs are fully self-funded by our initiator Ruben Schreurs, and supported by a dream team of dedicated experts that contribute their time and effort. We accept no donations or any other forms of payment. Brands4News.org does not operate as a corporate entity.

Who are the people behind Brands4News.org?

Please learn more about our story and the Brands4News.org dream team here!

Can the open-source resources be used freely?

The creative templates can be used at no cost, as long as you do so in accordance with our License Terms. You can receive the HTML5 template source code for free by requesting it here.

What future plans does Brands4News.org have?

We aim to provide relevant creative templates and domain inclusion lists for different crises based on different circumstances and geographical situation. Depending on the interest of the advertising community we may also produce different creative templates for different types of advertising, such as video formats. We are open to all suggestions and welcome any feedback, please contact us here.

How can I help?

It's great that you're eager to get involved! Beyond helping us by spreading the word and asking brands to support quality journalism, you can contact us here and we can discuss the best way to move forward. Thank you.

How can I get the creative templates?

You can receive the HTML5 creatives template source code by requesting it here. We aim to reply to all inquiries within 72 hours. You will then also receive a link to our License Terms, which contains style guidance as well.

Can I do what I want with the creative templates?

You can use the creative templates as long as you adhere to the License Terms and the You can add your logo or imagery to the designated section in the templates.

Am I allowed to create my own banner designs?

Of course! We encourage any brand to consider doing so. Brands4News.org simply provides some ready-to-use creative templates and a selection of domain inclusion lists to help brands continue to fund quality journalism. We only ask you to adhere to our License Terms in case you use our resources, but in case you design your own you are free to do what you want.

Is there a creative style guide I can refer to?

Absolutely! Please find it here.

Can I get support with production of the creatives?

We have a strong network of designers and developers that can provide expert production support on a paid freelance basis. Please contact us here if you want to be connected to someone, we strive to reply within 72 hours to all inquiries.

Why is {domain X} not included?

We have made a start and will develop and expand the inclusion lists from here, meaning there might be missing domains that deserve to be included. We are an open-source initiative and rely on the community to help us grow from here. Please contact us here if you have any suggestions.

Can I request for domains to be added to the inclusion lists?

Absolutely! Please contact us here to submit your request. Please note that we cannot guarantee successful inclusion of your suggested domains, as we rely on a strict vetting process working with external partners, such as The Global Disinformation Index.

I want to target more trusted news domains, where can I find them?

For more reach against quality journalism around the globe, please consider working with our partner organisation Ads For News to target engaged news audiences on more than 8,000 trusted local news websites from 30 countries. This is a non-profit organisation that provides free of charge domain lists to brands and agencies.

The Global Disinformation Index also offers rich directories of trusted publications against a fee, alongside their core solutions that help brands avoid disinformation content.

What is The Global Disinformation Index?

The Global Disinformation Index is a not-for-profit entity that exists to disrupt online disinformation. They provide independent, neutral and transparent data and intelligence to advise policymakers and business leaders about how to combat disinformation and its creators. Find out more here.

How can I most efficiently advertise on these domains?

This depends on the domain, but in most cases the easiest and most efficient way to advertise is to contact the publisher directly or by using programmatic advertising. You should contact your agency or in-house teams to discuss setting up your campaigns. In case you are buying programmatically, please ensure you consider setting up an effective Supply Path Optimisation strategy to maximise the advertising spend that is received by the publisher. For more information about this, please contact our partner Jounce Media. We aim to create easy-to-target line items in major Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) that provide a single point of access through a deal ID targeting all the domains on the inclusion lists. This is currently work in progress.

My ad verification provider blocks my ads on these domains, what to do?

The domain inclusion lists are intended to provide a safe and secure way to run ads on high quality news publications. We recommend turning off the pre-bid and post-bid ad blocking features of your ad verification provider when running Brands4News.org campaigns. Verification providers often use rudimentary keyword scanning to determine the safety of a web page; resulting in structural blocking of any article containing keywords such as {deaths} or {explosion}. We believe high quality journalism is never brand unsafe, but it can be less suitable for certain creatives (e.g. a campaign promotion explosive discounts can be very unfortunate against certain types of content), which is why we provide dedicated considerate creative templates.

How do I minimise my carbon footprint when advertising?

Carbon emissions are a serious - yet often overlooked - problem in digital advertising. It is important for advertisers to consider the most optimal way to run their ad campaigns with minimal footprint, also when using the Brands4News.org creative templates and/or domain inclusion lists. We try to do our part by developing highly efficient HTML5 templates with a very low file size, and we recommend partnering with organisations such as Scope3 to optimise the digital advertising supply chain emissions and carry accountability for appropriate carbon offset and removal.