On March 8, the United Church of Christ (UCC), citing weblogs as the ‘next great revolution in journalism,’ released its controversial and network-rejected ‘bouncer advertisement’ on almost 50 of the most popular blogs. The ads will run for two weeks on a range of politically diverse blogs, including Andrew Sullivan, Talking Points Memo, and This Modern World. (A blog, or web log, is an online journal typically updated daily.)
The UCC’s new ad uses a series of still photos from the denomination’s TV commercial to get blog visitors to ‘see the ad the networks didn’t want you to see.’ In the ad, two large bouncers stand outside a church and decide which people can go inside. Among the would-be churchgoers who are rejected are a gay couple, a Latino woman and a disabled man outside a church; a lesbian couple is also pictured.
CBS and NBC were among the networks that rejected the ad.