Not all Washington Post reporters were impressed with the newspaper’s $5.25 million Super Bowl ad.
Some criticized the Post’s owner Jeff Bezos for the ad promoting journalism, suggesting the money would have been better spent raising salaries and providing other benefits to its employees.
“Now unfreeze our pensions, pay an equal wage, and strengthen maternity benefits,” Dan Zak tweeted late Sunday night to Bezos.
[Opinion: 6 Super Bowl commercials you have to see to believe]
Now unfreeze our pensions, pay an equal wage, and strengthen maternity benefits. https://t.co/l5yUBlsS2G
— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) February 4, 2019
Zak, 35, has been with the Post for 14 years and covers local, national, and foreign news.
Another Post employee, Abigail Hauslohner, said that while she is proud to work for the Post, she wishes she would have had more maternity leave time and equal pay to her male colleagues.
“I wish … that I didn’t have to give up my vacation & sick days & go wks w/out a salary in order to take leave w my infant daughter as I’m doing right now,” Hauslohner tweeted. “We need more parental leave. And we need equal pay.”
I am proud to report for @washingtonpost. I’ve been shot at while on the job, &I’ve run frm airstrikes. I’ve been threatened w arrest. Ive lost brilliant colleagues who were far less lucky. But we report bc it matters; bc an informed public makes informed decisions. I wish..(1/3) https://t.co/QehReYCsn9
— Abigail Hauslohner (@ahauslohner) February 4, 2019
Bezos posted the Super Bowl ad to his Twitter and said he was grateful for journalists, especially those who put themselves in danger for their job.
The 60-second ad spot cost more than $5 million to air, and according to the Post’s CEO Fred Ryan, it was meant to “highlight the important, and increasingly dangerous, work of journalists around the world” to the “large audience of Americans and international viewers that watch the Super Bowl.”
The high cost of the advertisement drew sharp criticism from those who said the money could have been used in other ways, especially fellow journalism industry workers.
“$5.25 million could pay for 10 journalists making $50,000 a year for 10 years,” said David Rutz, an editor at the Washington Free Beacon.
“Imagine working at WaPo and wanting a raise & seeing that bullshit $5,000,000 ad,” tweeted Daily Caller political reporter Benny Johnson.
Imagine working at WaPo and wanting a raise & seeing that bullshit $5,000,000 ad
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 4, 2019
A reporter at Rewire said Bezos would have made a bigger difference hiring more reporters.
“I missed the WaPo ad but wouldn’t have missed the 63 reporters they could have hired with that money,” Katelyn Burns tweeted.
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
The Daily Mail’s political editor, David Martosko, agreed that the money would have been better spent investing back into reporter positions.
“For the price of running that ad just once, the Post could have hired a dozen reporters for four years,” David Martosko said.
For the price of running that ad just once, the Post could have hired a dozen reporters for four years. https://t.co/8q8lY4rp5Z
— David Martosko (@dmartosko) February 4, 2019
“Imagine getting fired and then finding out your entire salary paid for 1/2 a second of ad time at the Super Bowl,” comedian Jeremy McLellan tweeted, likely making reference to the spike in media-related layoffs recently.
Imagine getting fired and then finding out your entire salary paid for 1/2 a second of ad time at the Super Bowl
— Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) February 2, 2019
