Skip to main content
Friday, November 6, 2026Nov 6

This story is free to read.

New York Times to broadcast ‘truth’ ad during Academy Awards

FILE - In this April 21, 2009 file photo, The New York Times headquarters is shown in New York.  The New York Times will broadcast a television commercial called “The Truth Is Hard” Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 during the Academy Awards, the same week the company and other news organizations were blocked from joining an informal, on-the-record White House press briefing Friday .(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)
FILE - In this April 21, 2009 file photo, The New York Times headquarters is shown in New York. The New York Times will broadcast a television commercial called “The Truth Is Hard” Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 during the Academy Awards, the same week the company and other news organizations were blocked from joining an informal, on-the-record White House press briefing Friday .(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file) FILE - In this April 21, 2009 file photo, The New York Times headquarters is shown in New York. The New York Times will broadcast a television commercial called “The Truth Is Hard” Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 during the Academy Awards, the same week the company and other news organizations were blocked from joining an informal, on-the-record White House press briefing Friday .(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Times will air a commercial called “The Truth Is Hard” during the Oscars, just days after the company and other news organizations were blocked from joining an informal, on-the-record White House press briefing.

The 30-second ad includes audio from voices in the vein of news clips, talking about certain “truths,” like “the truth is our nation is more divided than ever” to “the truth is the media is dishonest.”

It premiered on YouTube Thursday and has more than 1.5 million views.

Its airdate on ABC during the Oscars on Sunday comes two days after the organization, along with the Los Angeles Times, CNN and more, were blocked from a White House briefing after press secretary Sean Spicer restricted attendance.

The Oscars air Sunday at 8:30 p.m. EST.