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Two things
Posted by Alex Dering 8/7/2008 12:00:42 PM

1. In the Preacher graphic novels, Cassidy, the Irish vampire/sidekick of the titular character frequently speaks in an Irish voice in the word balloons: Yeh, bollocks, wee, etc.

In one episode, Herr Starr, the German agent for the Grail society that has the last living descendants of the bloodline of Jesus (it's complicated, go buy the books). Anyway, in one episode, Starr mentions someone "popping his clogs" a very unGermanic expression for dying.

So watch out that you don't give someone a "dialect" that's wrong.

2. In John D. MacDonald's books, he uses a light touch. One character says to take the "wahr" meaning "wire" and wrap it around someone's wrists. The same character "rassles" some, too, if I recall.

product placement
Posted by Lin Young 7/28/2008 5:28:48 PM

Hey, this might sound horrible, and it is a little off point, but I've been thinking for a number of years that the newspaper industry needs to get movie and television script writers to write in more scenes where newspapers, magazines and books are used as props. Also show people reading and even discussing what they read. It isn't just because I'm a journalist and would like to expand the audience that reads newspapers - although I would. But there are many other reasons and those reasons would hold no matter what I did for a living.

Some of those reasons are: 1) People who read know more. 2) People who are informed about current events understand the forces driving the economy, government, etc. 3) People who know what's going on in the world around them, and understand what it means, have the tools to make better decisions in their personal lives. 4) Democracy can't survive forever with an ignorant voter base. 5) People who don't know history are doomed to repeat it and we all know that today's current events become history tomorrow (and newspapers print that first draft of history).

I could go on. But the same medium that made smoking look good hasn't done the same for making being literate and well-informed look attractive - with some rare exceptions.

In my opinion, it would be nice if it were the norm to see people in movies and TV shows portrayed reading books, magazines and newspapers.

Who cares?
Posted by Paul Gannon 7/27/2008 11:37:44 PM

Who cares if there's a period in Dr. Pepper or not?

Bogus subliminal
Posted by David Vossbrink 7/25/2008 7:47:16 PM

By the way, the so-called success of subliminal advertising is debunked at http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/popcorn.asp.

The ethical argument against paid product placement in the news (not just next to it) is good enough without confusing it with urban legends.

McSneaky
Posted by Hans Meyer 7/25/2008 12:15:57 AM

I agree this product placement is an attack on transparency, but for different reasons. I've elaborated on them more in our blog http://thecyberbrains.com, but here I just want to say it's sneaky, and news shouldn't be sneaky. Isn't that what transparency is all about?

clowns
Posted by Mark Jackson 7/24/2008 9:08:49 PM

It amazes me that the same group of 'talking heads' who claim to be tainted by a coffee cup on their 'news' desk; will openly flaunt their love affair with Obama (or Socialism, or Cuba, or China, or anyone who hates America) while being self-righteously indignant that you questioned their bias, err neutrality.

Are we going to remove the Sharpies as well? How about that monitor? Clothes? What subliminal message is that suit sending? fake tans? English?

Funny that no one complained when the Today show was in Times Square (a gazillion times). Times Square is nothing but ads! Not to mention that all these NYC folks love making their town the center of the world.

I have to say this is the most idiotic thing I have heard to date. Worse still, here in Cali the WGA getting all upset about having to write in products to shows for product placement. They wanted disclaimers running along the bottom of the show pointing out the product placement. It never occurred these 'deep thinkers' that would only be more advertising.

Their argument was it tainted their artistry. No doubt, this is a better argument for newsies since they don't report anymore, they just spin stories to their biases. Current buzzword alert: Narrative.

NYT reports an 85 plus % drop in revenue and then publish this. *rotflmao* no doubt they are jealous. Bigger fish to fry in the media, than product placement. You wouldn't need it, if we could trust you.

Quite a lot of hypocrisy in this story. Not to mention arrogance. Quoting Aldous Huxley and a CBS report does not lend gravitas to this article or it's author.

I know you coasties think all of us from states that don't have 2 liberal senators are a bunch of hicks; bad news, we are not the stupid people you think us to be. Why else would your ratings keep dropping? You think we don't know your are lying to us?

You newsies need to worry about fixing the broken trust, instead of petty annoyances you don't like.

Alas, Becky ...
Posted by Alex Dering 7/24/2008 3:53:30 PM

I do suck on a Tootsie Roll pop while drinking a Dr. Pepper during half-time.

Becky, there is no period in "Dr Pepper" just like there is no coverage of CBS' distortion of fact by substantively editing their recent John McCain interview.

And here's an ad:

alexdering.blogspot.com

Visit my blog everyone! Make me as rich as Sam Zell.

what!?
Posted by Tracy Simmons 7/24/2008 3:20:12 PM

Dunkin Donuts? Roy, I expected more from you!

Just kidding - I really am disturbed by this. I had a publisher once who wanted our stories to wrap around advertisements that had to do with our stories. Thank God it never happened - yet.

Product Placement
Posted by Juli Schatz 7/24/2008 12:13:48 PM

I agree with you and join the chorus of voices protesting, but in the end it will probably come pass anyway.

When I worked for three different newspapers from 1983 to 1991, we used to joke about selling ads on the front page -- joking, of course, because we knoew it would NEVER happen.

But it did. So product placement on news sets is no more a surprise than another New York Post headline with a slammer.

Not a good idea at all...
Posted by [User profile deleted] 7/24/2008 11:51:31 AM

Product placement in the News? It makes you wonder how much is for sale? If McDonald's is sponsoring the News via product placement on set, what about coverage of a story that's negative to the product being sponsored - where are you then?

You're not going down Ethics and Integrity Blvd, that's for sure.

The other situation occurs when the sponsor knows you're going to do the negative story and threatens to yank his advertising if you do.

There are commercial breaks in newscasts... and they were designed so that advertisers could put their messages there, not in the news itself.

A good thing to remember is that when you sell your reputation for a little money, there's no store you can go to in order to buy it back.

Does this mean
Posted by Becky Blanton 7/24/2008 11:11:47 AM

Does this mean I can get PAID for using my Nikon or Canon camera, driving up in my Chevy van, exposing my Levi's tagged jeans and Nike ball cap while carrying my Lowes Pro camera bag? Or should I put tape over everything and really look stupid?

I do suck on a Tootsie Roll pop while drinking a Dr. Pepper during half-time. It's all product placement - deliberate or not...might as well be paid for it. Everything else influences viewers - like the station call signal or name - the media IS a product too and they do a lot of self-promotion - why not promote other products?

Alex is right. No one believes the media any more anyway.

How 'bout them Camels?
Posted by Tim Thornton 7/24/2008 9:53:00 AM

This may be apocryphal, but I've always heard that when the NBC Nightly News was the Camel News Caravan, part of the deal was that the sponsors product always be burning on the set.

McQuestion
Posted by J.David Knepper 7/23/2008 11:36:16 PM

If the anchor desk is graced by McCoffee, would that affect coverage of any stories about people being burned by coffee?

Consider ...
Posted by Alex Dering 7/23/2008 5:53:49 PM

... how well the MSM has covered the health effects of McDonald's McFood products.

No one seriously believes the grinning blowdried animatronic puppets behind the desks anyway.

And very few people still believe the newspapers. Soon, it will be no one. We'll all have a lot of notes to compare in the work camps and detention facilities.

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