After backlash, Facebook pulls Trump's controversial immigrant ad for violating its advertising policy on 'sensational content'

• After Fox News and NBC pulled a controversial advertisement from President Trump that was widely condemned as racist, Facebook has decided to block the ad from paid distribution.
• The ad can still be posted on the social network, but not through Facebook's political ads platform.
• The ad claims the migrant caravan headed toward the United States consists of "dangerous illegal criminals."

After Fox News and NBC pulled a controversial advertisement from President Trump that was widely condemned as racist, Facebook has decided to block the ad from paid distribution. 

The ad, which claims the migrant caravan headed toward the United States consists of "dangerous illegal criminals," can still be posted on Facebook, but not through the social network's paid advertisement distribution system, Bloomberg reports. 

Fox News pulled the ad on Sunday, and NBC and Facebook quickly followed suit on Monday. 

“This ad violates Facebook’s advertising policy against sensational content, so we are rejecting it,” a Facebook spokesperson said to Bloomberg in a statement. “While the video is allowed to be posted on Facebook, it cannot receive paid distribution.”

Facebook defines sensational content as "images that may shock or scare viewers, images that are scary, gory or sensational," and "Ads depicting violence or threats of violence." 

Fox News provided the following statement to Business Insider regarding its decision: "Upon further review, Fox News pulled the ad yesterday and it will not appear on either Fox News Channel or Fox Business Network."

"After further review we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible," an NBC spokesman told Business Insider after the ad was aired on the network. 

CNN posted a statement on Twitter after deciding not to run the ad: "CNN has made it abundantly clear in its editorial coverage that this ad is racist," the statement said. "When presented with an opportunity to be paid to take a version of this ad, we declined. Those are the facts."

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