The Washington Post's moving Super Bowl ad uses the power of Tom Hanks' voice to defend journalism

The ad pays tribute to journalists who have been killed.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
The Washington Post's moving Super Bowl ad uses the power of Tom Hanks' voice to defend journalism
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The Washington Post aired a powerful ad narrated by Tom Hanks during Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, complete with its "Democracy Dies In Darkness" tagline.

The moving spot begins with shots of memorable news events -- the March on Selma, the moon landing, the Oklahoma City bombing -- but then shifts to paying tribute to journalists who have been captured or killed.

Among those the ad memorializes is Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, whose murder was reportedly ordered by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Following Khashoggi's death in October 2018, Trump has so far refused to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the killing.

The Post's ad follows a similar spot aired by the New York Times during the 2017 Academy Awards, which drew attention to the power in journalism during a time of great turmoil and relentless criticism of the media by President Trump.

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.


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