Headlines You Can Wear?!
I cannot believe this. A few moments ago I was just checking the home page of CNN.com and noticed something different next to the list of headlines on the right of the page. Usually in their list of headlines there is a video camera icon indicating that a particular headline link would open into a video report.
A headline caught my eye that said "Crying 4-year-old found along highway." Then I noticed that it had the video camera icon next to it. And then another icon as well, this one was in the form of a t-shirt. I had no idea why a t-shirt icon would be there so I clicked on it. What appeared next has me so angry that I can hardly type this out. It was an order form for a t-shirt with that headline on it. Surely this is a joke, but nope it isn't. When you click "Get This Shirt," an order form pops up and there you can order your American Apparel t-shirt with that particular headline on it. They even have an extensive FAQ section regarding the ordering of the t-shirt.
Here are the list of the other headlines as of 4:07 p.m. est. that you can get as a t-shirt.
- Crying 4-year-old found along highway
- Teen too young for 'come hither' pose?
- Colossal squid has soccer-ball eyes
Then you need to post, link, digg, comment, etc everywhere you can. Hopefully this shameless attempt to open a new revenue stream for Time Warner will blow up in their faces!
9 comments:
wow - kinda surprised this is upsetting you so much. i actually think it's kind of a neat idea. Is it just another way for CNN to make money? Sure it is, but at the same time I like that it gives a little more permanence to the rapid-fire style of today's media coverage in a design-friendly way. you can't really blame a company for looking for alternative products to sell to consumers can you? I'm guessing the 4-year old on the highway story wasn't the best introduction of this concept for you. Had you found out about it with the headline "OBAMA DEFEATS McCAIN" I think you might have had a more positive reaction to it... and maybe even ordered one for yourself. Maybe I'm wrong.
I hear what Kenny's saying - and what you're saying. I think what this calls for is some discretion as to the type of headline. However, that goes into a discussion of rights/freedoms - who decides which headlines are offensive, etc. This is a perfect example of how our "news" isn't journalism - it's media/entertainment. I'm sure you could find just as offensive T-shirts down the Jersey shore - but the key is that they are not being sold in relation with a news organization.
Come on you can't be serious!
"more permanence to the rapid-fire style of today's media coverage in a design-friendly way."?
If I want pithy or satirical t-shirts I'll get them from The Onion, Urban Outfitters, or Bustedtees.com. But "Ripped from the headlines" t-shirts aren't what I am looking for from the news. It's just a lazy way to advertise and make a buck.
Perhaps I am naive in thinking that what CNN is supposed to be selling me is good and thorough reporting, not t-shirts!
I'll get my Obama t-shirts from the Obama store thank you very much.
Ehhhhh...good and thorough reporting is found over at the Fox network!
"But "Ripped from the headlines" t-shirts aren't what I am looking for from the news."
There is obviously an audience or else they wouldn't sell. That audience is obviously not you.
Perhaps I am naive in thinking that what CNN is supposed to be selling me is good and thorough reporting, not t-shirts!
Dude... There is no such thing as a legitimate news organization anymore. CNN, MSNBC, NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC... they don't report news. They exploit news for their own benefit and for the entertainment of their audiences. That is a hard cold fact. This t-shirt idea is just an extension of the entertainment they provide their audiences. Nothing more. It used to make me FURIOUS to watch the news, expecting to get NEWS, and it never happened. I've since come to accept that they are actually just another form of reality TV now... scripted, jaded and bias. Too cynical? Don't think so.
I agree with Kenny. Just because it's not something you would purchase doesn't mean it should exist. The internet is a new frontier for commerce and ideas. There's nothing wrong with giving something new a try. I think the idea of taking a quote from a website and instantly ordering a tee shirt is quite genius. If I had more than three people reading my website, I might actually consider it myself!
As for the news... the news has lost credibility with me as well. It is biased and getting increasingly "dumbed down". I read news sites and take the information with a grain of salt.
cnn can't sell you news. people used to pay for news...but not anymore. so this is what we've come to. at least until news organizations find some other way to stay in business. probably not going to happen. the only way to get news worth paying for is npr. ira glass has been hilarious in this last campaign trying to get npr listeners to call in and make contributions. he's much funnier than that t-shirt. btw, just because people and companies are free to express themselves, that doesn't mean society can't ask for a little discretion.
Kel, the discretion is at the consumer level, IMO. I trust that most descent people wouldn't bare something so offensive on their chest. free market vs. free speech is an idea to chew on.
discretion should be at all levels, imo.
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