What happens when there is no second opinion? When nobody questions the evidence? When those in power are allowed to tell their story unchecked by the news media?
These are the questions these ads want you to think about.
Loading the player...
You are about to see the UNCENSORED images of RT's 2014 ad campaign. The ones RT wanted to display on telephone booths and in underground stations and on railway platforms throughout London – but couldn’t. Because of their “political overtones.” Because they were deemed too provocative and controversial. Because this is what happens WHEN THERE IS NO SECOND OPINION.
What happens when there is no second opinion? When nobody questions the evidence? When those in power are allowed to tell their story unchecked by the news media?
These are the questions these ads want you to think about.
In September 2014 RT's international "Second Opinion" ad campaign was all set to roll out in London, having made its US debut a month prior. Posters featuring 43rd US President George W. Bush and the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, were to appear on telephone booths and large-format posters in railway and underground stations. And then... RT ads were REJECTED for outdoor displays by many London platforms and authorities because of their “political overtones.” They had to be REDACTED for all outdoor formats, save for wild postings.
Despite having been REDACTED, RT wants to give Londoners a chance to see the campaign in full, and is launching RTplus, an augmented reality mobile app that reveals the ads in their entirety. Simply download the app, scan any REDACTED poster, and watch the image complete itself.
Available in UK
RT's "Second Opinion" ad campaign kicked off in August 2014. Its aim: to bring attention to the importance of having a real diversity of voices in the global news media space, and to posit RT as the place to go for alternative viewpoints on current events.
The Iraq War, which serves as the theme of the campaign, is just one example of what can happen when mass media is all too willing to agree on a narrative. More than 11 years later, tens of thousands of people in Iraq and other countries have paid the price for that consensus, with no end to the quagmire in sight.
"RT. For the Second Opinion." debuted with a series of wild postings in New York City, then added them in Washington, DC. The first set of ads featured the former US Secretary of State Colin Powell addressing the United Nations assembly to build support for military action against Iraq, and the second - President Bush delivering his speech aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, with the now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner in the background.
Right away the campaign attracted attention of many media outlets, including The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Huffington Post and Buzzfeed, and kicked off debates online in the comments sections and in social media.
New York Times“[With these ads RT] tries to persuade New Yorkers to view it as an alternative to American channels.”
The Huffington Post“Provocative... a serious dig at the way the US media reported on the Iraq war.”
RT's Second Opinion ad campaign kicks off in NYC, advocates diversity of opinion in news media http://t.co/sjskuc4tMC pic.twitter.com/nLZgLZoGRM
— RT Press Office (@RT_PressOffice_) 18 августа 2014
@AllsTheFish
@RT_PressOffice_ In fact 10 times victims more! An this is not finished yet!
@shaunwalker7
[The Guardian] Fully agree with the sentiment, not sure about the messenger.
@DDERSS
When was the last time Russia has started a war on false pretense? (Hint: it has never happened). So your sentiment is FALSE.
Spotted this guerrilla poster board ad for RT near my apartment. "In case they shut us down on TV" pic.twitter.com/EPiWiNZQFl
— Alex Weprin (@alexweprin) 18 августа 2014Russia Today's brilliant, ugly, paranoid outdoor advertising campaign in Brooklyn... pic.twitter.com/thMRHjERs8
— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) 15 августа 2014@SanaSaeed @NoahShachtman Perhaps paranoid, but the info is accurate right? Iraq was a war of aggression drummed up by media disinfo.
@DerekJohnBryant
I don’t see that that’s paranoid. Perhaps “circumspect”?
@cptskullfck
@NoahShachtman @MarkSleboda1 Paranoid? So, Powell didn’t go to the UN with fake evidence to start a war with Iraq?
Having made a splash in the wild posting format, the New York City and Washington, DC campaigns soon expanded to billboards, wallscapes and buses. Next up – London. REDACTED. Revealed. Because you can always count on RT for the full picture. Just like you can always count on RT for the SECOND OPINION.
Comments section of NYMag.com