Screen shot from Channel One News for September 29, 2014. Middle school students watch in horror as a man is about to stab a young girl in the back with a spear.
From Jim Metrock: On September 29, 2014, and on several other dates, Channel One News ran a commercial for their parent company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. HMH publishes books aimed at the youth market. This ad is for a book called How to Catch a Bogle.
The commercial is cheaply made. It must have been done “in house” at Channel One because it is dreadful. You can watch the commercial below to see for yourself. The producer of the commercial didn’t take the time to properly review what was filmed. Surely Channel One and Houghton Mifflin didn’t want schoolchildren and teachers to be confronted with a video clip of a potential child murderer to be on their classroom TV screens and whiteboards. Surely.
But that’s what was shown in classrooms.
The producer of this ad didn’t sufficiently understand perspective, angle, and contrast. It is hard to tell what is going on in this commercial. What Houghton Mifflin books obviously intended was a scene where a man is trying to protect the singing girl. What they intended was to have the point of the spear in front of or to the side of the girl and not aimed at her back. Or did they intend to be ambiguous? After all a threatening, violent image on a classroom TV screen will draw attention and Channel One wants kids to watch their commercials.
Students ultimately see the man stab at something black. Is that a “bogle”? Who knows.
This commercial had no reason to be shown in any classroom. Channel One News and its owner Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are trying their best to alienate teachers, parents, and schoolchildren.
Check the Channel One News Backstabber video out:
