The Missing Anchorwoman
euronews; Reporters Without Borders
Issue 40 | September 2016
Agency
Serviceplan Campaign 2 GmbH
Creative Team
Creative Directors Cosimo Moeller Matthias Harbeck Art Directors Julia Topp Lidia Semenjuk Jerome Pflu¨ger Copywriters Leonardo Assad-Silva Benjamin Beilke
Other Credits
Account Supervisor Gloria Gaertig
Date
May 2016
Background
Worldwide, press freedom is a critical issue. Every year, around 170 journalists are kidnapped, tortured or murdered because they are reporting independently.
To bring attention to this injustice, euronews and its partner Reporters Without Borders wanted an authentic and dramatic way to convey this message to ordinary citizens.
Idea
Every year, 170 journalists disappear worldwide because they uncover scandals or inconvenient truths.
euronews and Reporters Without Borders decided to conduct a live stunt on World Press Freedom Day (3rd May) that would directly involve viewers with the issue.
Conducting the stunt during a breaking news sequence would give it extra impact.
As anchorwoman Lise Pedersen interviewed a correspondent in the field, viewers could hear noises of a fracas off set. When the camera cut back to the studio, Pedersen had 'disappeared', the papers and furniture strewn all over the place and viewers were left staring at an empty studio.
After 20 seconds of silence, a Reporters Without Borders official appeared on screen to explain the kidnap stunt and underline that violence against reporters was a threat to democracy.
Results
The stunt itself was seen live by 4.1m viewers, with more watching re-runs throughout the day. A YouTube film achieved approximately 500,000 views and online interactions via social media and sharing added 2.8 million impressions.
Donations to Reporters Without Borders increased 116%.
Our Thoughts
It's not easy to find a way to represent to citizens just what the potential consequences of violence against journalists are.
There's an element that thinks journalists deserve what they get and compassion fatigue can also set in.
Live stunts, although they can be a double-edged sword, are probably the best way. No doubt the agency and client teams asked themselves some hard questions before they pushed the button.
Is a studio kidnap credible? How real do we make it? And what happens if we get it wrong, or viewers genuinely fall for it?
I'm glad they got the right answers.