Feb 2, 2019

Washington Post to run Super Bowl ad promoting free press

Shannon Vavra

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Washington Post announced that it "will premiere a 60-second message during Super Bowl LIII highlighting the critical work of reporters and the role that work plays in Americans’ everyday lives. A first for The Post, the spot was voiced by actor and director Tom Hanks."

Details: Fred Ryan, publisher and CEO of The Post, said: "While most Super Bowl ad producers have the better part of a year, we had the lesser part of a week, but with an event this big, we decided to seize the opportunity." The ad, which CNBC reports will cost the newspaper about $5.25 million for a 30-second slot, is expected to show murdered and missing journalists around the world, months after The Post's own Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 1 p.m. ET: 622,450 — Total deaths: 28,794 — Total recoveries: 135,779.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: 105,573 — Total deaths: 1,711 — Total recoveries: 895.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump is reportedly considering a quarantine on New York, parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. He signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
  4. State updates: A group of Midwestern swing voters that supported President Trump's handling of the coronavirus less than two weeks ago is balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter. Alaska is latest state to issue stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month.
  5. World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day. In Spain, over 1,300 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. 🚀 Space updates: OneWeb filed for bankruptcy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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