Donald Trump has never been one to enjoy the Super Bowl, especially as it highlights NFL players who continue to ignore his demands that they stand for the National Anthem instead of protesting important social justice causes. But what would really set Trump off last night was a certain ad by the Washington Post, one of the president’s most loathed publications.
The Post ran a powerful ad during the Super Bowl last night, highlighting how courageous and important journalists are in today’s world. The ad was narrated by Tom Hanks and featured several critical scenes that portrayed how dangerous the jobs of reporters can be, focusing on missing or killed reporters. Such reporters included missing Austin Tice and slain Jamal Khashoggi. The ad also showed an array of reporters, from CNN’s Anderson Cooper to Fox News’ Bret Baier. Washington Post‘s CEO, Fred Ryan, said:
The Super Bowl is a remarkable moment to recognize the courage and commitment of journalists around the world that is so essential to our democracy. We decided to seize the opportunity to make this a milestone moment in our ongoing campaign.”
You can watch the ad below:
While this likely made Trump furious, many people rejoiced when they saw the ad. However, the ad also stirred up some controversy as people were torn between feeling proud and being disgusted that the Washington Post would spend millions on a Super Bowl ad instead of just supporting more writers’ salaries.
Here are some of the mixed reactions:
Nice WAPO ad…but it’s not gonna change one mind…not one. What would have changed minds is hiring 50 new reporters with that money.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) February 4, 2019
WaPo’s ad highlights Anderson Cooper and Bret Baier? https://t.co/SKxFtiP77Q
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) February 4, 2019
That WaPo ad about the importance of the media in this time of “darkness” included clips of Fox News reporters.
— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) February 4, 2019
The WaPo ad cannot come sooner.
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) February 4, 2019
Wow I just cried during that Tom Hanks WaPo ad. Wow.
— Joanna Robinson (@jowrotethis) February 4, 2019
I missed the WaPo ad but wouldn’t have missed the 63 reporters they could have hired with that money.
— Katelyn Burns (@transscribe) February 4, 2019
Regardless of how people feel about it, the ad served its purpose to defend journalists and make Trump very nervous.
Featured image via screen capture
