The 4 March 2018 response by Bayer is very disappointing. The company apparently has decided to continue funding and sponsoring the Sean Hannity Show via its advertising. As explained in my 23 January 2018 letter to Bayer, this contributes to the undermining of internationally-recognized human rights and democratic institutions through Hannity’s repeated, hostile attacks on journalists and on Special Counsel Robert Mueller... Bayer says in its response that “Bayer, like any advertiser who purchases large packages of advertising time, runs the risk of having an occasional ad run on a network that broadcasts programming that may be seen as offensive.” That statement is misleading. Bayer’s advertising on the Sean Hannity Show is not accidental. Bayer has advertised extensively and repeatedly on the Sean Hannity Show.

... People are fed up with companies that adopt a human rights policy and pledge to respect human rights, then fail to implement that policy in practice when it is inconvenient for them. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide that all companies must respect human rights, including in their business relationships. In this case, through its financial support of the Sean Hannity Show, Bayer has become complicit with Hannity’s attacks on journalists and on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.