We may be nearing a resolution to the ongoing controversy surrounding CBS’s decision to reject MoveOn.org’s winning advertisement from the network’s Super Bowl commercial lineup.
If anything, the controversy has been building all week, even drawing the attention of 27 members of Congress, who condemned CBS’s decision, labeling the network’s move an “affront to free speech and an obstruction of the public’s right to hear a diversity of voices over the public airwaves.”
Unmoved, CBS hasn’t budged, despite the public pressure. CNN, however, has agreed to broadcast the ad during halftime of the game.
I’m not sure how many football fans check CNN during halftime, but at least it will find an audience. To help boost CNN’s ratings a bit, MoveOn has announced it will encourage its members to switch to CNN during halftime to watch the ad.
At a minimum, the attention generated by this controversy has helped MoveOn bring enormous awareness to the group and the ad. It’s not the same as having an ad broadcast to 88 million people, but it’s a silver lining, I guess.