Bill Donohue comments on a New York City advertising campaign by Viacom that is offensive to Catholics:
Viacom has long been known for its anti-Catholic fare on Comedy Central and other networks. We’ve dealt with them many times, both before and after their split with CBS. And I treasure the letters from head honcho Sumner Redstone defending bigotry as purely a free speech issue.
Now Viacom is pushing new buttons: their outdoor campaign in New York City includes a picture of a couple of gals from the Comedy Central show “Broad City” wearing an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; the depiction appears inside votive candles and is posted on the outside of phone booths that line city sidewalks.
I know Viacom’s first quarter ad sales are down 5 percent, and that they just laid off 264 employees in New York City, but nothing justifies ramping up their audience by exploiting Catholic iconography.
If they think we are overreacting, and that this is just fun and games, then they ought to demonstrate their much-vaunted fidelity to inclusion by posting Islamic iconography on street corners around the city.
We encourage Catholics to contact Viacom and demand that they discontinue this offensive ad campaign. For those who would like to see the ad click here.
Contact Carl Folta, Executive VP, Viacom Communications: Carl.Folta@viacom.com
