The New York Times plans to air a television ad for the first time in seven years during the Oscar's Award Ceremony Sunday night. The ad focuses on the "truth."
During the simple ad, statements flash across the screen beginning with, "The truth is our nation is more divided than ever." The statements that follow are popular phrases or versions of the truth that are used by Trump and his supporters and then statements used by opponents of Trump.
Some of the pro-Trump statements included: "The truth is the media is dishonest; The truth is we have to protect our borders; The truth is climate change is a hoax; The truth is Obamacare isn't affordable; The truth is all lives matter."
While some of the statements from Trump's opponents include: "The truth is women's rights are human rights; The truth is his refugee policy is a backdoor Muslim ban; The truth is we need a full investigation of Russian ties; The truth is this country was built by immigrants; The truth is we need new restrictions on gun control."
The rate at which the messages roll across the screen starts slow, but begins to speed up before the final statements are shown.
"The truth is hard to find. The truth is hard to know. The truth is more important now than ever," the ad says at the end.
David Rubin, branding executive at the Times, recently explained in an interview to CNN the purpose of the ad. He told the cable news network the ad was intended to tap into the "national dialogue going on right now about facts and the truth."
He added:
The idea is to be a part of that discussion about what does it mean to find the truth. What does that mean in a world of "fake news?" And what is the role of journalism and journalists in that process and what is the role of reader in supporting that journalism?
We think it’s a great metaphor for how hard it is on a regular basis to understand the truth. That leads into the role that we think journalism can play in helping you cut through that clutter and make your own sense of what’s going on in the world.
We wanted a high profile media moment. This felt like a great moment for people to respond and react to the spot.
Trump, however, didn't take too kindly to the ad, which many argue had anti-Trump undertones.
"For first time the failing @nytimes will take an ad (a bad one) to help save its failing reputation. Try reporting accurately & fairly!" the president tweeted early Sunday morning.
Trump's supporters also called out the publication for the ad:
Since becoming president, Trump has aggressively gone after the Times for their political coverage, calling into question its accuracy and fairness, often accusing the newspaper of being biased.
After all, the publication apologized for its coverage of the 2016 election following Trump's win last November. In a letter to subscribers, the Times executives promised better and more fair coverage during Trump's administration, but many continue to call into question the Times' accuracy and bias.
Still, Times executives routinely rebut accusations from Trump that they are "failing." In fact, the Times says they have seen a record number of subscriptions thanks to Trump's constant tweets about the publication.
