Progressive Media Outlets Blackout Their Sites to Advocate for Same Sex Marriage
Eligible voters in Australia have until midnight 24 August 2017 to either enroll or update their details with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to be able to vote in the upcoming postal plebiscite on same sex marriage conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Therefore in an act of mass virtue signalling a group of progressive media outlets have teamed up to blackout their websites and social media channels from 5pm til 8pm AEST tonight to remind their readership to enroll to vote yes in the plebiscite. The respective websites are PEDESTRIAN.TV, Broadsheet, VICE, Junkee and FBi Radio. Pedestrian, Broadsheet and Junkie’s content is down (we wish), but their advertising has been replaced by reminders to enroll to vote along with a pop up asking you to enroll. VICE Australia and FBi Radio sites are completely blackout with only directions to enroll to vote.
For a side that was apparently so confident they would win a proposed plebiscite and the public was overwhelmingly on their side this type of drastic conduct smacks more like desperation. It would seem that years of positive media coverage and corporate support for same sex marriage hasn’t been enough for them.
These five sites are not the only media that is taking such drastic action encouraging their followers to enroll and vote yes. MTV will tomorrow from 6am til 6pm replace its regular programs and music clips with pro-same sex marriage messages and directions to enroll to vote. Their website also directs visitors to enroll to vote yes in the plebiscite.
Corporate Australia is also getting in on the last minute scramble to get people to enroll to vote yes with companies like PayPal bombarding people’s social media feed with enrollment reminders.
For all the media hysteria about the debate being filled by so called hate speech from traditional marriage advocates it would seems that no one can go on social media or consume the news without seeing a pro same sex marriage statement. The major ad agencies have refused to make traditional marriage advertisements so one can hardly argue the no case is receiving the same coverage.
Yet despite all this the same sex marriage advocates are still scared they might lose. One can expect even further ratcheting up for the yes campaign once survey forms actually begin to arrive to households in September.
