Washington Post Reporters Shade Paper After Pricey Super Bowl Ad
“Maybe next $10 million could go toward better health benefits, parental leave, equal pay, and more jobs for reporters,” one reporters says
Jon Levine | February 4, 2019 @ 6:33 AM
Last Updated: February 4, 2019 @ 6:36 AM
The Washington Post Super Bowl ad lauding the work of a free press received sharply mixed reactions on Sunday, with many — including at least three of the Post’s own reporters — saying the spot’s cost of up to $10 million was exorbitant and could have been better spent improving the newsroom.
“I’m really proud to work at a newspaper that does this vital work,” reporter Sarah Kaplan said in a tweet. “But maybe next $10 million could go toward better health benefits, parental leave, equal pay, and more jobs for reporters?”
Wesley Lowery, a national correspondent for the paper, took a similar view about the ad, in which narrator Tom Hanks extolled the free press amid images that included slain Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
“I love the Post. Have worked here 5 years this month. An amazing team full of amazing people. Can’t lie and pretend it’s not exciting to watch us have a commercial tonight,” he said. “Also really wish we provided better paid parental leave.”
A third reporter, Fredrick Kunkle, went even further, blasting the expenditure in a four-part Twitter thread while noting how newsroom benefits had been crimped elsewhere.
“The Post is now paying, say, $5M/30 seconds to tout journalistic freedom during one of the glitziest and — given the NFL’s knee-taking protests and concussions — more controversial sports events in our country,” he said. “While I too am extremely proud of the Post and its legacy, this seems like an especially infuriating expense for a company that has: a) tried to take away health care insurance from part-time employees b) moved everyone toward riskier forms of health insurance”
Post employees taking issue were hardly alone. Elsewhere on Twitter many other raised similar questions about the cost of the spot. HuffPost media writer Yashar Ali said the ad likely changed zero minds and could have instead been used to fund dozens of journalists.
“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,” he said.
The ad itself — a 60-second spot narrated by Tom Hanks highlighting the work of journalists and the importance of the free press — was broadly praised on the merits by those who were able to look past its cost. The piece included a tribute to journalists killed in the line of work, including former Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.
“Support #PressFreedom because #Journalismisnotacrime. It’s far past time to #FreeAustinTice and gain #JusticeForJamal. Thank you @tomhanks for lending your voice to this essential cause at this critical moment. @washingtonpost,” Jason Rezaian, an opinion writer for the paper, said in a tweet.
The Washington Post is owned by Amazon founder and chief Jeff Bezos, who purchased it from the Graham family back in 2013. Bezos’ management skill and deep pockets have led to a broadly recognized turnaround for the paper which had struggled for years before the purchase.
The tech billionaire attended the big game on Sunday and was spotted by reporters in an exclusive skybox with fellow big wigs, including former Starbucks CEO (and presidential aspirant) Howard Schultz.
11 Media Losers of 2018, From Les Moonves to Michael Avenatti (Photos)
2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.
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Les Moonves: Once celebrated for his leadership at CBS, Moonves faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct for which he was ultimately fired. CBS said in December that it would seek to deny him a roughly $120-million severance package.
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Laura Ingraham: Long a divisive figure (even on the right), the Fox News host might have avoided the losers' column were it not for a sponsor boycott launched against her by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg in March. Months later, advertisers are still wary of appearing on the program.
Michael Ferro/Tronc: The leadership of Michael Ferro has now made Tronc synonymous with mismanagement. In addition to leaving the top job with a #MeToo scandal over his head, Ferro is now facing accusations of making anti-semitic remarks and paying off an LA Times editor who reportedly had the comments on tape.
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Media Publishers: From Mic.com on the left to The Weekly Standard on the right, publishers came in for a beating, with some closing up entirely. With few exceptions, legacy shops saw print sales decline, while digital-first properties continue to face the crushing economics of turning pageviews into profits.
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Breitbart: It's a name you probably haven't heard for a while. Once a key part of the engine which powered Trump's improbable election, the website had long fallen off most radars. A sustained pressure campaign against advertisers on the site by Sleeping Giants has also taken a bite out of revenue.
Marc Lamont Hill: Once a CNN regular, Hill lost his job as a contributor on the network after making remarks about Israel and Palestine at the UN that many called anti-semitic. A chummy photo with Louis Farrakhan -- who has compared Jews to termites -- didn't help matters for him either. He remains a tenured professor at Temple University.
CBS and "60 Minutes": Both the network and its marquee news program took a beating this year. "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager was forced out in a MeToo scandal, while details of an investigation launched by the network generally hit the press before reaching top management.
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Michael Avenatti: Just months ago, the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with Donald Trump was considered a serious presidential contender. But his reputation took a hit after taking on a questionable MeToo claim against Brett Kavanaugh, and he disappeared for good after being booked on felony domestic violence charges in November (though he was not charged).
Andy Lack: The MSNBC/NBC News chief had a rough 2018. His network's decision to pass on Ronan Farrow's historic MeToo reporting continues to reverberate. His big bet on Megyn Kelly also flopped and became a multi-million dollar ulcer which still remains far from resolved.
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Gavin McInnes: Always on the fringes, McInnes had nevertheless carved a niche for himself as an online provocateur, a host on CRTV and as the head of his own (occasionally violent/racist) fraternal organization, The Proud Boys. By the end of 2018, he was banned from Twitter, dropped by CRTV and had resigned from The Proud Boys.
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Univision: Univision spent $135 million on Gawker Media back in 2016 and has spent most of the time since mismanaging the former properties and being called out by its own writers. Amid buyouts to editorial and broad layoffs elsewhere, Univision revealed it is looking to cut its losses and unload the websites once and for all.
2018 was a rough year for media, and for this rogues’ gallery, the damage was particularly catastrophic
2018 was hard for a lot of media folks, but particularly so for this rogues' gallery. For some, it was MeToo. For others, industry headwinds were too much. And for more still, disgrace and ignominy came after just saying the wrong thing.