Buzzfeed refuses to run Donald Trump ads during campaign

Buzzfeed says it won't run ads from Donald Trump, saying the presumptive Republican presidential candidate is 'hazardous to our health.'

The web publishing site told employees Monday it has cancelled an earlier contract in which the Republican Party had booked advertising space on Buzzfeed's many digital properties once the presidential election formally kicks off in the coming weeks.

The contract could have been worth up to $1.3 million US, Politico reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the original deal.

"We certainly don't like to turn away revenue that funds all the important work we do across the company," Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti said in a memo to employees Monday. "However, in some cases we must make business exceptions: we don't run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won't accept Trump ads for the exact same reason."

Trump is "directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world," the memo read.

"Some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs."

The memo adds that Buzzfeed will still happily accept ads from other Republican candidates for other offices, and says the ad ban "will have no influence on our continuing coverage of the campaign."