Appearing on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports on Monday, Washington Post Deputy Editorial Page Editor Ruth Marcus applauded her paper’s decision to spend money on an expensive Super Bowl ad. She even claimed that the commercial wasn’t actually meant to promote the Post, despite the logo being shown at the end of Sunday night’s pricey spot.
“The Washington Post took the very unusual step of sponsoring a Super Bowl ad last night. And that’s a very high-dollar thing for the Washington Post to do,” anchor Andrea Mitchell breathlessly proclaimed as she teed up a clip of the ad. Following the soundbite, Mitchell gushed: “That’s a powerful statement to that large Super Bowl audience.”
Marcus hailed her employer’s marketing campaign: “I was so proud that we were able to do that, and I was so proud to be a part of it.” The liberal columnist then bizarrely attempted to deny the obvious, even as she completely contradicted herself: “And I just want to say that this was not advertising the Washington Post, though at the end our slogan, ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness,’ appeared there, as did our name, The Washington Post.”
Well, that certainly sounds like an ad.
Marcus continued:
But this was – and you could see it in the inclusion of journalists from a number of different news organizations – this was about the importance of the media generally and about the importance of a free press and a robust press. And I just thought it was a very wonderful and powerful statement for us to be able to make.
Her fellow guest, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, chimed in to explain why media outlets supposedly need to run such ads:
You know, you said it was rare, and it is rare. But we didn’t feel the need to do this before. This is why journalists become journalists. And now we’re under attack as an enemy of the people, as fake news, and so suddenly it seems important to remind everybody what it is that journalism does.
It’s always amusing to see how uncomfortable journalists are when it comes to acknowledging that the companies they work for are major corporations with branding strategies and marketing departments. Any commercial they run must be portrayed as a public service announcement rather than as an attempt to boost subscriptions or ratings.
Here is a transcript of the brief February 4 exchange:
12:54 PM ET
(...)
ANDREA MITCHELL: And I wanted to ask both of you, as veteran journalists, and especially Ruth with The Washington Post, The Washington Post took the very unusual step of sponsoring a Super Bowl ad last night. And that’s a very high-dollar thing for the Washington Post to do. Let’s take a look at it.
[CLIP OF WASHINGTON POST SUPER BOWL AD]
MITCHELL: That’s a powerful statement to that large Super Bowl audience.
RUTH MARCUS: I was so proud that we were able to do that, and I was so proud to be a part of it. And I just want to say that this was not advertising the Washington Post, though at the end our slogan, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” appeared there, as did our name, The Washington Post. But this was – and you could see it in the inclusion of journalists from a number of different news organizations – this was about the importance of the media generally and about the importance of a free press and a robust press. And I just thought it was a very wonderful and powerful statement for us to be able to make.
SUSAN PAGE [WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, USA TODAY]: You know, you said it was rare, and it is rare. But we didn’t feel the need to do this before. This is why journalists become journalists. And now we’re under attack as an enemy of the people, as fake news, and so suddenly it seems important to remind everybody what it is that journalism does.
(...)
