Open Journalism: The Three Little Pigs Ad

This ad for The Guardian newspaper is the best I’ve seen in a long time. It takes the familiar fairytale about the three little pigs and the big bad wolf who tries to blow their homes down and projects it into the modern day. In the full glare of the media spotlight the classic tale is reimagined and analysed from various angles. Did the pigs go too far? Even if the wolf was out of order did he deserve to be boiled alive? What’s the appropriate way to deal with a home invasion? Was the whole thing just an insurance fraud perpetrated by the pigs?

The production values are fantastic. The ad was created by BBH and apparently they also created scripts for Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Humpty Dumpty but in the end The Three Little Pigs was chosen. It was filmed in two 20 hour sessions and then effects were added over a period of four weeks. The result is impressive.

While this is a comical idea the point it is making about open journalism is serious. The modern media is not just about reporters and journalists telling the rest of us what happened. We are all equipped with the means to report on events ourselves. It is increasingly common for ordinary people on the street to submit photographs and video footage relating to big news stories. Blogging and posting articles and comments online is a part of daily life for many. News stories that grip people spread like wildfire across our social networks. There are multiple sides to every story and we’ve never had greater access to a variety of forums for debate. Open journalism isn’t just about passively reporting on events, it’s about taking part in them and driving change.