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BuzzFeed has deleted over 1,000 articles, three due to advertiser complaints

By Thor Benson

NEW YORK, April 19 (UPI) -- BuzzFeed has released an internal review that found the company has deleted over 1,000 articles.

Among the 1,112 articles that were deleted, three were deleted because of complaints from the website's advertisers, which has some questioning its policies.

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"These stories were pulled after an editor fielded a complaint from a business ­side BuzzFeed staff member who worked with a brand mentioned in the piece," Ben Smith, BuzzFeed's editor-in-chief, said of the three removed articles in a memo, which was first obtained by Gawker.

Articles critical of Microsoft, Pepsi and Axe body spray were allegedly removed because of advertising concerns. The company also recently deleted and then republished articles critical of Dove soap.

Other reasons for deletion included technical errors or duplication of existing articles.

Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic called deleting articles the "most dramatic choice a news organization can make," since it's often not transparent that it was done and it removes access to information.

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