Breitbart.com pushes Kellogg's boycott over pulled ads

Trump pledges to cut ties with his company, and other MoneyWatch headlines

LOS ANGELES — Breitbart is encouraging a boycott of Kellogg’s products after the cereal maker said it would no longer advertise on the news and opinion website, formerly run by President-elect Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon.

The Kellogg Company cited company “values” in explaining its decision; a spokeswoman said Thursday it has “nothing to do with politics.”

Breitbart has been condemned for featuring racist, sexist and anti-Semitic content. Its website, considered a news hub for what some call the “alt right,” attracted 19.2 million readers in October, according to estimates by digital media tracker ComScore.

Breitbart said Kellogg’s decision amounted to “economic censorship of mainstream conservative political discourse” and “as un-American as it gets.” It launched a #DumpKelloggs petition Wednesday calling for a boycott of Kellogg’s.

Kellogg Company shares were down nearly 1.5 percent in mid-day trading Thursday, to around $71 a share.

Breitbart said Kellogg’s decision represents “an escalation in the war by leftist companies like Target and Allstate against conservative customers” and their values.

Target Corp. and Allstate Corp. also have reportedly pulled ads from the site. Target shares were up about 1.5% in Tuesday trading, to around $78.30 a share, while Allstate shares were flat at around $70.10.