Black Friday Hype Squad
Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on our blessings, spend time with family, and get beaten over the head by local news orgs producing award-winning content adhering to only the highest journalistic standards:
#ATLblackfriday PARKING ALERT: Town Center at Cobb lots 90% full. Mall of Georgia lots 90% full.
— 11Alive News (@11AliveNews) November 29, 2013#BlackFriday is almost here! Before you head out, be sure to check out our list of major retailers' hours and deals: http://t.co/uzk3a4N5C0
— KVUE News (@KVUE) November 29, 2013Are you #BlackFriday shopping? Tweet us your deals at #azbf. Check out the latest on deals and crowds here http://t.co/CVzVQ8ULDy
— azcentral (@azcentral) November 29, 2013Black Friday shopping tips http://t.co/xMTS1ERCoD
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) November 29, 2013Come morning, there will be another embarrassing trend to deal with, as Black Friday scuffles become the latest Video You've Just Gotta See After The Break, but there's a pretty significant line being crossed tonight, when news orgs move from not just covering events as they happen, but promoting sales and anticipating crowds and long lines.
Most news orgs are ad-supported, so it's no surprise to see the news cut to commercial break and roll a Target ad, or for a banner ad to appear over a story on a news site, but treating a discount sale as a news event approaches collusion and is nowhere near journalism.
Next time you check the news, consider whether it's coming from one of the companies that was lazy enough to turn their newscast into an ad for big box stores or one that chose to write about what Black Friday really is: A manipulative load of crap.
Meanwhile, here's tomorrow's news, tonight:
Want to learn more about journalism? Read the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics