"The Washington Post's moving Super Bowl ad uses the power of Tom Hanks' voice to defend journalism..."
-Marcus Gilmer, Mashable, February 3, 2019
How bad has it become when the press runs an advertisement promoting and defending...the press?
Pretty bad.
Worse, the self-serving Washington Post missive displays why the Fourth Estate is alienating audiences and losing relevancy.
The minute-long piece begins with a vision of D-Day, scrolling from the Moon to a state funeral and into "When our nation is threatened..." This is where I stopped paying attention, contemplating the image used to portray "...our nation is threatened...". Something didn't sit right. I recognized the site instantly, yet felt those around me would be challenged to remember the historical value.
While Tom Hanks delivers, "When our nation is threatened..." a shot of the 1995 Oklahoma Bombing fades in.
The bombing was a domestically motivated attack on a US government building, carried out by a madman who was caught, tried and executed.
Why use a 1995 incident to depict our nation under threat?
How many viewers recognize this vision?
1995.
Can you think of an image, in this century, that conveys the clear message of "our nation is threatened"? Be assured, the Washington Post engaged a team of highly paid, publicity EXPERTS. They chose every shot, each word, background audio, musical pace and voice attenuation for a reason - a specific emotional appeal.
Why choose a domestically charged event, 24 years in the past? Are there no other images that might convey a more poignant message?
Why yes. Yes there are...
A reasonable person would ask, "Why would the Washington Post choose not to use a 9/11 image at this point of the commercial?" Surely, the option was reviewed and rejected.
This is not nuance.
This not an accident.
Perhaps it is simply a reflection of a tone deaf effort - or the output of a nefarious cabal. There are two ways our nation comes under threat: from the outside and from within. The Washington Post chose internal danger over external threats, and this is most illuminating.
Does the US media consider internal, domestic challenges greater than global threats?
Or is the media purposefully ignoring external dangers in order to forward an agenda of domestic fear? Perhaps to perpetuate the belief that all the ills in the world are because of the US.
The US public has grown tired to the arrogant, media-state and supporting political players. It must be striking a chord somewhere in those ivory towers - or else there wouldn't be so many lectures masquerading as commercials this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment